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Picture source: Hania Franek

The Bull was situated at 86 High Street. This grade-II*listed pub closed in 1985.

I remember the Bull Inn in Needham Market so well. Six of us in our mid teens stayed at the pub for several weeks in the mid/late 1960’s as we were in the area undertaking air survey control work for Highway improvements. Happy memories of playing football on the nearby recreation area in the evening and superb omelettes for breakfast.

Chris Whitehead (August 2018)

Listed building details:

Public House, built early C16 as a high-quality town house. 3-cell cross-passage entrance plan, with two integral shops. 2 storeys. Timber-framed and roughcast; the upper floor is long-wall jettied towards both Bridge Street and High Street. Plaintiled roofs with axial chimneys of red brick, and C19 ornamental bargeboards. Various C18/early C19 windows, some with wrought-iron casements. C19 boarded entrance doors (the doorway to No.86 High Street has 2 fielded panels). Exposed framing outside the building is confined to joists and brackets supporting a moulded bressumer, and a richly-carved corner post. This is weathered but has traceried panels at the base, an embattled frieze, a winged human or angel figure, an embattled capital and a traceried spreading head. Blocked original openings all with 4-centred arches (some damaged), include:- both cross-passage doorways, a shop doorway adjacent to the front door, a pair of wide shop windows, and a further doorway and window in a formerly separate shop room. In the hall the upper half of the original main window remains, with chamfered square mullions, each light having little arched spandrels. High quality close-studding with arch- and tension-bracing. The large hall fireplace and that in the chamber above have cambered lintels. Wainscotted cross-passage screen perhaps of later C16. Roll-moulded 1st floor joists in hall and parlour cells, the main beams also embattled. An original door now in the service end is unusual in having linenfold enriched planking. Over the parlour chamber is a crownpost roof, with plain square post at the open truss, 2-way braced; there are traces of original red paint. A cell positioned to right of the entrance from the High Street is apparently earlier, with moulded 1st floor members and a coupled-rafter roof.

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Name	Dates	Comments
Sandra	1960	Father was publican here.

Other Photos

Picture source: Darkstar