King Umberto I donated insignia to Bull Inn in Woodbridge

Woodbridge mayor Robin Sanders formally unveiled the coat of arms of the House of Savoy on the front of the Bull Inn, Market Hill, Woodbridge, on Wednesday.

The insignia had been lost for many years after King Umberto I had granted the inn the use of the coat of arms in return for horses supplied to his family by the hotel.

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Crowds turned out for the unveiling of the coat of arms by Woodbridge mayor Robin Sanders (Image: Lucy Taylor) The relationship began when Victor Emmanuel II of the House of Savoy stayed at the inn in 1873, when the landlord was John Grout, a former stable boy who had set up a successful business for buying and selling horses.

When Victor Emmanuel II died in January 1878, the relationship was maintained with his successor, King Umberto I, who continued to import horses from the new landlord William Miles, who took over when John Grout died in 1887.

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After supplying horses to the Italian royal family for more than 20 years, King Umberto I granted the Bull Inn the use of the House of Savoy coat of arms in 1896.

The coat of arms of the House of Savoy has been restored to the front of the Bull Inn in Woodbridge (Image: Lucy Taylor) For much of the 20th century, the coat of arms was displayed by the hotel, but had been lost in recent years.

The inn's current landlord David Clarke said: "It went really well. We were very pleased with the turnout. 

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"I am guessing that there were about 60 or 70 people out there. The mayor, Robin Sanders, did a great history of the plaque and how it had been restored."

He said many people had been asking when the coat of arms was going to be put back "so it was good to do that."

The coat of arms on the front of the Bull Inn in Woodbridge as it used to look (Image: Submitted)