He was the “larger-than-life” landlord of one of East Anglia's most unusual pubs - a man of strong views with a love of cricket and most other sports.

He was the “larger-than-life” landlord of one of East Anglia's most unusual pubs - a man of strong views with a love of cricket and most other sports.

George Coleman, who has died suddenly aged 61, ran the Kings Head pub at Laxfield, known as The Low House, with his wife, Maureen.

The pub is one of the few that remains free of piped music, gambling machines and soft furnishings.

He and his wife moved to the pub, where beer is still served from a back kitchen, six years ago after already working for more than 20 years in the pub trade in Suffolk.

Mrs Coleman said her husband loved meeting people and thoroughly enjoyed life at The Low House, so named because of its location in a dip.

“He was a very social person and he was great at going round and making people feel comfortable.

“He was well known for his jokes and his love of jazz and he liked nothing better than a good debate. He was a very strong character and had an opinion on just about everything,” she said.

A Eurosceptic, he had been outraged when the European Union banned his favourite pipe tobacco, Balkan Sobranie, “because it was too strong”.

Mrs Coleman said her husband had considered himself a custodian of the pub's traditions.

Born in Yorkshire, Mr Coleman trained as a quantity surveyor, then set up a suede and leather manufacturing business in London.

He and his wife, who married in 1972, moved to Suffolk in 1977 to take over the Queen's Head at Dennington.

Later they became tenants of the Railway Inn, Framlingham, where they stayed for 20 years before moving to the Red Lion at Southwold.

Gerald Nason, a regular at The Low House for several decades, said: “George was a larger-than-life character.

“He was terrific, an extraordinarily kind man.”