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Clare Half Moon Inn
Clare Half Moon Inn
also traded as Moon, Le Moon Inn
North East, 52.07749,0.58068
Closed: Post-1937
opened 15th century
2 High St, CO10 8NY
grid reference TL 769 452
It's shown (though not named) on this old OS map from about the end of the 19th century. interactive map
In 1830 this commercial inn was a stop for the "Times" coach to London (via Great Dunmow) departing every morning (except Sunday) at 8am. A number of other coaches also stopped in the inn's yard.
The building, which dates from the 15th century, seems now to be a sheltered housing scheme, called Half Moon House.
The pub was a family & commercial hotel & posting house.
The Half Moon was described in 1549 as 'Le Moone Inn', and was included in the list of lands belonging to *St Mary's Chantry. In the 17th century the owners extended their premises by buying the house on the corner of Nethergate Street. It lost this other half when the part fronting Nethergate Street was separated from it, so the Moon became the Half Moon.
In a paper read to the Suffolk Archaeological Society in the 19th century, a suggestion was made that the half moon sign may have been derived from the crescent on the sign outside the Swan, but this sounds like a pure guess.
Gallery
Nearby Suffolk pubs
Historical interest
A report in the Ipswich Journal, May 12th 1759***, refers to the Half Moon in Clare
To be held by auction by William Oliver on Mon 8 Dec at the Half Moon in Clare, removed there for the convenience of sale, about 70 lots of valuable household furniture, some excellent beer casks etc…
Landlords
Thanks to Carl Benson of the Suffolk Latch Company for the historical photos.
(Most pub, location & historic details collated by Nigel, Tony or Keith - original sources are credited)
(historical detail found in Clare Book II streets)
(** historic newspaper information from Stuart Ansell)
(*** historic newspaper information from Bob Mitchell)
Old picture from http://www.foxearth.org.uk
Old OS map reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland.