Can you fill in the pub history blanks?
We’ve been doing some research into the history of the pub. Oddly, we know everything about all the landlords and landladies from 1840, the first time a pub was recorded on the site, but we have some holes around 1980.
If you have a moment, click through to our history of The Greyhound pub page and have a read through. It’s quite detailed, so as a reward for your patience, there’s a lovely photo of landlord Dan at the bottom.
In the history, we have listed all the landlords (repeated at the bottom of this post), where they were from, and the years they served. We are aghast to admit that several of them came from Norfolk.
But you’ll see we have a couple of blanks. We’d love it if you got in touch at info@thegreyhoundipswich.co.uk if you can help us fill them in.
For example, how did Len Stannard come to be at the pub, and what years exactly did Don and Thirza Stebbings run the show? They were followed by Tom and Betty, but what was their surname?
The history is an interesting one. Did you know we were one of the first places in Ipswich to get a public phone box? And that Prince Albert rode passed in an open-topped carriage?
And previous landlords doubled up as cab company operators, running horses and carts from stables in the yard. They must have been very handy after a night of “refreshment”!
While doing our research, we came across this picture of the pub from 1979, taken by Sid Kerrison.
We think you’ll agree it looks a lot better now. We have all our letters, for a start, and the old red phone box has long gone. And we have hanging baskets. Lots of them!
There’s now only one door to the front because the other was from the old off-sales service counter.
How times have changed!
Landlords and landladies of The Greyhound
John Snelling, not local, 1840 – 1848
William Lancaster, Southwark, 1848 – 1858
John Airey, Debenham, 1858 – 1883
Emma Airey, Helmingham, 1883 – 1887
William Cotton, Thorpe Abbots, Norfolk (!), 1888 – 1908
Henry Last, Ipswich, 1909
James Nicholson, unknown, 1910
William Castleton, Norwich (!), 1911 – 1941
Bertie Quantrill, Holbrook, 1942 – 1943
Ellen Quantrill, Whitton, 1943 – 1959
Len Stannard, 1959 – 196?
Don Stebbings 196? – 198?
Tom and Betty ??, ??, 198? – 1984
Sue Ireland-Cutting, 1984 – 1996
Nigel Paul, Ipswich, 1996 – 2011
Dan Lightfoot, Ipswich, 2011 – Present day
The current landlord, Dan Lightfoot (right)
