I RECENTLY featured 100 photographs of public houses which have closed in Ipswich, many of them in recent years.

David Kindred

I RECENTLY featured 100 photographs of public houses which have closed in Ipswich, many of them in recent years.

Nick Debenham of Felix Road, Ipswich, contacted me with an intriguing question about the now closed Racecourse pub on Nacton Road, Ipswich.

Nick said: “My mother in-law who used to work in the pub years ago told me that the original winning post from the Ipswich horse racing track, which was originally situated near the pub site, is built into part of the bar.

“It would be a great shame if this was lost during the planned demolition of the pub. If it still exists surely it would make sense to preserve it as it is part of the history of our town. The racecourse itself encircled much of the housing estate that now stands there.”

- The Ipswich racecourse operated for over 200 years. Local gentry and men from the Ipswich Barracks were among those who took part. The last steeplechase was run in 1895. Flat racing came to an end in 1911.

The first houses were built on the site in the early 1920s. Do you know more about the location of the racecourse finishing post?