Ordnance, Felixstowe

A report in the Ipswich Journal** on 03 Jul in 1858 states that Maria PAYNE has taken the Ordnance Hotel, Fort Road, Felixstowe. The 1904 Woodbridge licensing records show that the Ordnance's license was issued in 1856. Whether this was when it was first licensed or when it got a full (ie not just beer) license isn't clear, though the latter seems more probable. Listed in 1874 as being in Walton. A paperback book published in 1969, called "Inns of the Suffolk Coast" by Leonard P Thompson** contains the following extract: The Ordnance Hotel, Felixstowe The Ordnance was built in 1854 by Mr J C Cobbold & enlarged in 1914. A few yards in front of the Hotel were the remains of a redout, with several of the gun emplacements intact. No doubt it was from this fortification that the Ordnance took it's name. Recently, one of the lounge bars has been converted into a discotheque with the specific purpose of catering for modern 'teenagers, & at the time of writing (1969) this is the only one in Felixstowe. In 1966, the original coffee lounge was converted into a plush, modern cocktail bar. Photographs of this pub and more historical information about it can be found at suffolk.camra.org.uk/pub/281