Save The Duke | Norfolk NIPS Photos Luke Martin
With pubs closing all over the country due to the pandemic and economic issues, the Friends of the Iron Duke have been campaigning relentlessly for the restoration and reopening of the Iron Duke pub, situated on Jellicoe Road in Great Yarmouth’s North Beach area. Iron Duke was built in the late 1930’s as Lacons Brewery’s flagship pub. It was designed by AW Ecclestone, a visionary architect who designed most of the pubs Lacons built. The bars themselves are made from teak taken from the WW1 Battleship HMS Iron Duke using Lacons own inhouse builders and craftsmen. The building works were halted at the start of the second world war but the pub was opened, partially completed, to provide refreshment for the gun battery crews stationed near by on North Beach.
The
After the war, the works recommenced and the pub was opened fully in 1948. The lovely art deco styled pub had a very successful career and is still admired and remembered today by holiday makers and locals who drank within its walls. Lacons Brewery and AW Ecclestone left a stunning legacy combining fine architecture and social history. However, the Iron Duke was bought and acquired by Bourne Leisure, who ran the Haven Seashore holiday park. In 2007 they promptly closed the successful pub to prevent any further competition to their adjacent holiday park businesses. Unfortunately, without regular maintenance The Iron Duke quickly fell into disrepair. The Friends of the Iron Duke have collaborated with various prestigious societies such as the C20 Society, the Society of Architectural Historians GB, the Sainsbury Centre (who
26 | Autumn 2021
