George Tomline inherited Orwell Park (and presumably the Nacton Anchor) in 1836 and never married. On his death in 1889 his estate was inherited by Captain Ernest George Pretyman.

E.G. Pretyman was the MP for Woodbridge from 1895 to 1906 and for Chelmsford from 1908 to 1923. During the build-up to his political career he was reported as making a speech at Wickham Market on farming. During this speech he was asked about the closure of the Nacton Anchor.

He replied that in the parish of Nacton and Levington there were public houses of which he owned one, the Anchor. It occurred to him that as there was not a club available to the men of the parish so if he converted the Anchor into a reading room it would be a good thing.

He had no wish to do this without the consent of the inhabitants and called a meeting at the local school. He would spend the money on it and buy the papers and they should pay a penny a week. Not a single person voted against his proposal. The tenant, presumably Frederick Evered, who had been paying a rent of £40 pa for the pub, would now receive a pension of £40 having lost his house.

This was reported in the Ipswich Journal on 4 Feb 1893, page 2.

Further confirmation of the change of use was given by E. G. Pretyman at a meeting at Barking in July 1895 when he referred to the Anchor having been turned into a village club.

The 1904 OS map shows "Club House" where the earlier map showed the Anchor, confirming that this change was effected.

In addition, the pub is not mentioned in the 1909 Rates book.

By 1926 the building was shown on the map as "The Moorings". The "Anchor House" name appears to have arrived between 1938 and 1958.