The marriage of Capt. John Murray (Ivan) Cobbold (1897-1944 #448 in the tree) to Lady Blanche Cavendish (1898-1987 #448) was the reason for a great gathering at Holy Wells (the spelling Holywells is modern) on Friday July 25th 1919. Amongst the hundreds of tenants and employees invited were Mr. & Mrs. H E Osborn who were the publicans at The Grapes in Regent Street, Ipswich. Nearly 100 years later their granddaughter, Mrs Taylor has kindly given the Trust some souvenirs of the occasion.
The festivities ran from 12.30 to dusk and included lunch at 1.0’clock with presentations (presumably of wedding presents), games during the afternoon and tea at 5.30. Our pictures show the bridal couple with the groom in the uniform of a twice-wounded subaltern in the Scots Guards; the invitation; a group of the tenants and brewery employees; and a barrel race and pillow fight in progress.
We have been unable to find a picture of The Grapes which Mrs Taylor remembers seeing as a child and which she says was replaced by Council Offices.
The next festivities at Holy Wells took place just 4 years later in July 1923 to celebrate the bi-centenary of the Cliff Brewery and these will be the subject of another Cobbweb next month.
