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Ipswich Grand Hotel

Ipswich Grand Hotel

also traded as Bee Hive, Limmers

North, 52.0571,1.15409

Closed: post-1977

16 Buttermarket

grid reference TM 163 445

The Beehive is shown on this OS town plan of 1883 (interactive map).

old OS map

The Grand Hotel is sometimes listed at "Old Buttermarket".

The Bee Hive Tap is listed next door until at least 1871.

The Bee Hive closed in 1893 and was demolished. A new pub of same name opened at Majors Corner in about 1900.

The Grand hotel had a resident orchestra and seems to have run from about 1900 onwards until eventually being converted into shops. Curiously, the 1909 Ipswich Rates book has it marked "late", implying that it closed some time in the subsequent couple of years.

During the 1920s and 30s, especially when being run by Bill Read, this was a popular venue for many off-duty airmen from nearby RAF Martlesham,. The Salutation was another popular venue during that time for these pioneering airman, who were engaged in a wide variety of aircraft and armaments testing.

Information from Gordon Kinsey book "Martlesham Heath" (pub. 1975)

It was then ran by a grocery company called Limmer & Pipe for some time. They also used part of the building as a restaurant. It isn't clear when it became Limmers bar, but this is remembered by local long-standing local residents who drank there in the 1970s.

According to the most up-to-date available from Ipswich licensing records, it was open at least as late as 1977.

Map

map

Gallery

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Historical interest

Historical interest

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Landlords

Landlords

(Most pub, location & historic details collated by Nigel, Tony or Keith - original sources are credited)

(census information from Dudley Diaper)

(** information from Stuart Ansell)

Old OS map reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland.

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