Ipswich is a brewery town. The administrative centre of the agricultural county of Suffolk, world famous for its barley and brewing, Ipswich was for decades the home of the Cobbold (later Tolly Cobbold) brewery, which was not only a prominent local employer but influenced the development of the town, through the Cobbold family’s interest in and patronage of sport, the arts, and politics. Ipswich is also a town of pubs. From the Middle Ages, when its taverns were filled with pilgrims to its famous shrine and many religious houses, through to the twentieth century when local brewers provided refreshment to factory workers and visitors to the busy port. This book is a record of that history – Ipswich’s breweries, public houses, taverns and inns, many of which no longer exist. It uses historical records and local sources to bring them back to life as an intrinsic part of the town’s history and culture, bringing it right up to date with a look at its thriving present-day pub scene, illustrated by a large number of old and new photographs.

Susan Gardiner is a self-employed electronic publisher. She has written local history articles for magazines in the past and written for Ipswich Town fanzines, including editing the first issue of Turnstile Blues (2012). She also writes blogs on local history (thosewhowillnotbedrowned.wordpress.co.uk) and turnstile-blues.co.uk. She lives in Stowmarket, Suffolk.