History of The Spread Eagle

The Spread Eagle the oldest pub in Ipswich still hosts some of its previous customers throughout its 500 year old existence who love to come and enjoy their old haunt still today, please visit our Haunted page for more spooky goings on.

A pub with a very colourful and chequered past, one of four on each corner, the main crossroads into Ipswich and its busy docks, smugglers, press-gangers, Charles Dickens and most probably where witches from the Salem/Ipswich witch trial planned their escape to the New World, along with Bartholomew Gousnold one of the prime movers of the founding of Jamestown the first English speaking US colony.

It is the oldest pub in a debatable oldest town in England !!! How cool is that !!!

So just shows how old our little pub is and what its seen !!!!


HISTORY QUIPS

Eagle Street was named after the pub and not the pub named after the street, it was originally Rope Lane a continuation of Rope Walk and this was where all the ropes for the ships and hangings were made.
 
Bond Street, the street right behind was named that because of all the press-ganging going on.
 
The Ipswich hangman apparently used to drink in here and still comes in for the odd pint and music and there have been people strung up in our very own courtyard.
 
The top part of Fore Street was known as Gunpowder Alley and may explain the mysterious fire in the pub which still shows one of its charred beams !!!