History of Norwich's Walnut Tree Shades Victorian pub

The Walnut Tree Shades in Norwich's Old Post Office Court has just been taken on by new publicans Rachel and Mark Scarlett after previous operators of 20 years Dale and Claire Brooks moved on to the Brickmakers.

New Walnut Tree Shades owner Rachel Scarlett (Image: Newsquest)

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But in the pub's beginnings, the transfer of ownership was not as peaceful.

The Walnut Tree Shades as it looks today (Image: Denise Bradley)

One of the Walnut Tree Shades' earliest landlords, George Dady, died aged just 27 in 1859 of a suspected suicide.

Custody of the pub was passed on to his wife who died just a year later in a gunpowder explosion at a gun-maker in Little Orford Street.

Inside the Walnut Tree Shades in the early 2000s (Image: Newsquest)

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Then in 1863, under the ownership of William Edward Filby, a fire broke out at the pub after the fireplace ignited the woodwork and burst through the interior.

Outside the Walnut Tree Shades in the 1990s (Image: Newsquest)

The fire was put out by the chief constable and city fire brigade with several buckets of cold water and left little damage to the building itself. Mr Filby went bankrupt in the same year.

Live music in the Walnut Tree Shades (Image: Newsquest)

In modern times the venue has been known for its live music and open mic nights which have now moved to the Brickmakers, with the pub's new owners focusing on making it "fancier".

The Walnut Tree Shades in 2011 (Image: Newsquest)