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SUFFOLK - Bury St Edmunds, Nutshell National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors Part One The Traverse, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 1BJ Tel: 01284 764867 Opening Hours: 11 to 11 Draught Beer & Cider: Greene King Real Ales Public Transport: Railway Station: Bury St Edmunds Listed Status: Grade II View this pub on a local map
The tiniest pub in the country* at a mere 4.6m x 2.5m internally. The three-storied building itself is probably early- to mid- C19 and is timber-framed and rendered. It is very shop-like with large windows enabling you to see the whole of the interior without stepping over the threshold! It contains an old counter and bar back shelves; seating is on bare benches attached to an old panelled dado painted brown. The question is - how many people can you get into the Nutshell. The answer is 102 plus a dog called 'Blob', all of whom set a new record on 10 March 1984, beating the previous record by one.
The history of the pub is told in an excellent little book by Gerry Nixon called Old Inns and Beerhouses of Bury St Edmunds and published by the West Suffolk Branch of CAMRA in 1996 (revised edition 2002) - highly recommended, a cut above most pub books. The property, previously a newsagent's, was taken over by a John Stebbing in 1873 when it opened as a beerhouse. this was only one side of the Stebbing family's business interests. They also had a greengrocers and a pawnbrokers. John senior ran the greengrocers and his son the Nutshell. As many other pubs did it boasted a collection of curiosities including cork models made by John H Stebbing and a stuffed three-legged chicken. On display is a 400 year old mummified cat found behind the fireplace in 1935 - they were a way of warding off eveil spirits from houses. The Stebbings gave up the pub in 1893 and from then until 1934 there were just two landlords.
There is just one toilet - a WC up the narrow staircase on the first floor. Ask to see the visitors book. There are a number of 'smallest pub' souvenirs on sale.
* Other claimants are the Smiths Arms, Godmanstone, Dorset but this has been closed for some years; the Lakeside, Southport, which was recently extended; and the Signal Box Inn, Cleethorpes opened in claiming to be the smallest pub on the planet with a floor area of just 2.4m x 2.4m.
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