The Arbor House, Ipswich

This is a rather compact and homely feeling pub at the top end of town, which has been getting plenty of positive coverage for the quality of its ale. You enter into a bare boarded room with plain plastered and bare brick walls. The servery is to the right and has a basic wood panelled counter, a high canopy covered in pump clips and a simple, mirrored bar back. A couple of high tables and stools fill the space opposite, but seating comes mainly in the form of tables and chairs or low stools in the left-hand portion of the room. Lights strung from old pulley units criss-cross the ceiling to good effect and the walls have been decorated with various boards listing food options, as well as a few modest decorative bits, some crates displaying glassware and snacks, and a few framed CAMRA certificates. A beer fridge to one side of the bar has lots of bottles and cans which are comprehensively listed on a TV screen to the rear left, whilst a mirror next to the bar acts as a sign for the beer garden, which I didn’t bother to explore on my cold and dark evening visit. Music was playing almost imperceptibly in the background throughout my stay and the place had a rather glum post-match atmosphere after Ipswich Town lost from a winning position in the final minutes of the afternoon’s fixture at nearby Portman Road. There were three handpulls in operation when I arrived, dispensing Ruha Heimat Land Beer and Mauldon Scrooges Revenge and Suffolk Pride. The staff were all very friendly and my pint of Suffolk Pride was in excellent shape and slipped down very nicely. Whilst the place was definitely suffering from a bit of a downer in the wake of the football, it still felt like a welcoming and inclusive pub, and no-one moaned at me for turning up in the away team’s colours! There was a lot to admire about this place, which I thought offered a very warm and welcoming environment in which to enjoy some of their well-kept ales. In some ways, it felt a bit like settling down in someone’s lounge, such was the homely nature of the place, and had I not needed to shot off to check out a few other pubs in the area, I would’ve happily settled down here and gone through their full cask range. Date of visit - 8th December 2024

The Arbor House is situated not far from the arboretum. It looked closed as I approached, but blackboards outside invited me to enter through the front door. You walk through the pub to a pleasant patio area at the side. After finding my two earlier town centre pubs very full, it was a relief to find a little solitude here, with only two other tables occupied. Walking through the bar enabled me to check out the two pumpclips, which displayed Lacon's Encore & Mr Bees Buzz Lite Beer. I opted for the latter, which was quite enjoyable. Food appears to be popular here and serving staff were friendly and courteous. Worth the walk uphill to, especially after the mundane pubs in the centre.