The landlords of an Ipswich pub are celebrating opening up their own venture seven years after romance blossomed behind the bar.
Teresa Page, 57, and Tony Casey, 58, haven taken over the former Lions Head and Old Times Guest House on Cauldwellhall Road and transformed it into The Harp.
Tony, a dad-of-five from Bantry Bay in Cork, Ireland, has owned pubs and clubs in the past, including The Shamrock in Ipswich town centre.
Teresa Page and Tony Casey opened The Harp, Charlotte Bond (Image: Charlotte Bond)
He and Teresa, a mum-of-two and a grandma-of-five, met at Tony’s pub seven years ago.
She said: "I was a customer at The Shamrock, and at that time I was taking a break from work.
"I asked Tony if I could be trained up to work behind the bar, and then I started working there.
Teresa Page, co-owner of The Harp, Charlotte Bond (Image: Charlotte Bond)
The Harp, Charlotte Bond (Image: Charlotte Bond)
"As time went on, we then became romantically involved with each other."
The couple decided to run a pub together, and at the beginning of March they opened The Harp.
The owners said: "The business has been going really well since we opened.
Teresa Page and Tony Casey opened The Harp, Charlotte Bond (Image: Charlotte Bond)
The Harp, Charlotte Bond (Image: Charlotte Bond)
"We've got a lot of old customers from The Shamrock, and we've been lucky enough to have a lot of new customers too.
"Our aim now is to update all the rooms at the guesthouse as well as the bar, where we’d like to hold birthday parties and weddings.
"We'll be also starting to do Sunday roasts and have live music once a month."
The couple added that their goal was to create a place with a friendly and warm atmosphere for their old and new customers.
Teresa Page, Tony Casey and their dog Murphy, Charlotte Bond (Image: Charlotte Bond)
The pub owners can rely on the help from Teresa’s children, Kylie, who helps with the guest house, and James who is a plumber.
The Harp also employs a few workers who moved with the owners from the previous pub.
The pub has also got its own pet, a dog named Murphy.
The pub's pet, Murphy, Charlotte Bond (Image: Charlotte Bond)
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here