Dating from the first half of the 19th Century, the Foundry Arms has managed to survive into the 21st century, albeit with the occasional hiccup. The pub has had several similar names including Foundry and Mark Lane Arms (landlady Eliza Golden in 1889-1894) and The Market Lane and Foundry Arms. Each name reflects the location of a nearby foundry
Initially owned and run by a Northrepps couple, William and Pheobe Storey, by 1880 it had been bought by Norwich brewer, Bullards. It remained tied to Bullards until the takeover by Watneys in the 1960s. It then became owned by PubCos, initially Grand Metropolitan followed by Brent Walker then Pubmaster. In 1997, the licensees at the time bought the pub from Pubmaster and ran it as a freehouse until around 2006.
However, a couple of years later its future was in doubt as it was put up for sale but, in 2009, was bought by a company, The Foundry Arms Ltd., and was refurbished and re-opened as a pub with one of the directors becoming the licensee.
Its next brush with fate came in 2013 when it would seem as if the owners had different ideas for the future of the pub. I’m not sure of the details of what was planned by the owners but it resulted in an application being put forward to protect the pub by granting it the status of an Asset of Community Value which was approved in 2014.
In advance of the approval of the ACV, a new licensee was appointed who, along with his partner, has run the pub successfully ever since, although the periods of enforced closure during the Covid crisis did not help its viability for a time. Hopefully, it has now emerged through the other side and the pub has reclaimed its old clientele who are doing their best to drink the licensees back into profit.
(Reg Thumper)
