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 possibly had several similar names including Foundry and Mark Lane Arms. Each name reflects the location of a nearby foundry
Initially owned and run by a Northrepps couple, William and Pheobe Storey, parents of James Storey who ran the village store on Church Street for many years.
They are listed on the 1861 census as Inn Keepers (Does not say the name of the pub) on Church Street.
On the 1871 census they are listed as Licenced Publican of Mark Lane Inn and Foundry Arms (possibly two public houses opposite each other on Church Street?)
By 1880 it had been bought by Norwich brewer, Bullards.
On the 1881 census Pheobe Storey, aged 83 was a widow – Occupation Inn Keeper of Mark Lane Inn, which seems to suggest there were two pubs.
On the 1891 census the landlady of the Foundry Arms was listed as Eliza Golden, records show she was landlady between 1889-1894.
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. We are 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.
(Reg Thumper)