Traditional Folk

Dating back from the present to 1700, the Ship Inn at Blaxhall has enjoyed a continuous history as a lively social centre in the true tradition of the English village pub.

The Blaxhall Ship is featured in many local tales, in songs and in George Ewart Evans famous book about rural life ‘Ask the fellows who cut the hay’. The survival of the traditions of Fellowship, Lively Conversation and Music, Singing and Dancing at any time, is almost unique in East Anglia and possibly the whole country.

In 1955 the BBC shot a short film in The Ship, “Here’s A Health To The Barley Mow”  www.eafa.org.uk/catalogue/5
In 1953 Alan Lomax and Peter Kennedy recorded “Singing at the Ship Inn” .

Simply ‘Googling’ Blaxhall Ship (or similar) will lead you into a mind boggling array of links. There are numerous YouTube clips of Traditional Singing and Step Dancing in the bar, along with black & white footage of pub life in the 1950s from the UEA and BBC Archives – all well worth a look. Several documentaries about folk music, poetry and the spoken word have been made in The Ship Inn.

In addition to supporting and promoting Traditional Folk music of East Suffolk and the rest of the world, the Blaxhall Ship has a busy calendar of activities and entertainments of all kinds including our August Open Air Concert ”Music In The Car Park” regular professional performances of Nationally renowned Rock & Roll, Roots & Blues and Rockabilly bands, Performances of Contemporary Music, Singer/Songwriters, Singing Competitions, a Buskers Night, a three day Midsummer Free Festival of Folk and many opportunities for aspiring performers to come along to our Venue and enjoy the support of others.