Pied Cow, Sudbury

Known as the Bear before 1990. Also listed at Borehamgate Street (in 1839 & 1855 & 1865). The Feb/Mar 1981 edition of Last Orders***** reports that the Bear is owned by Ind Coope. Alfred Hedges' 1976 book "Inns & Inn Signs of Norfolk & Suffolk" says of the then Bear, "[...] a most amusing but probably apocryphal story is told about its sign. It concerns John Gainsborough, brother of the illustrious Thomas. Scheming Jack, as he was known to the whole of Sudbury, was something of an eccentric & devoted most of his time to inventing unwanted things like a mechanical cuckoo & a self-rocking cradle, but he was astute enough to see that one day men would fly. [...] He was also an accomplished painter & the landlord of the Bear offered him £1 to paint a new sign. "Make it 30/-", said Jack, "and I'll do the job & put a nice gold chain round the animal's neck." When the landlord refused to raise his price Jack painted the bear without its chain & collar as agreed, & both seemed satisfied with the bargain. Early next morning the landlord became aware of a gathering crowd laughing at his signboard. He dashed into the street & discovered that the bear had vanished from the sign. The background was there in all its detail, but the only trace of the bear was the silhouette of its outline. Jack was sympathetic when tackled by the landlord & said what a shame it was that the landlord had not paid the extra 10/- so that the bear could have been tied up! He did not explain that he had painted the animal in soluble colours & that it had rained hard the previous night". Hedges also says of the then Bull, "The Bear [...] was at one time extensively used by the local farmers as a kind of corn exchange. The growers would take samples of their grain as far as the door of an upstairs room. Then they popped it through a hole in the door, to be valued by the unseen & unseeing occupant of the room. In this way a true valuation could be arrived at without suspicion of favouritism".