Hundreds are expected to attend the funeral of Shaun Carpenter who sadly died having not long retired
A much loved landlord known for running one of Hull’s busiest pubs has died at the age of 59, his family have said as they paid tribute to an “amazing man”. Shaun Carpenter ran The Silver Cod for nearly 25 years, becoming a “legend” of the Anlaby Road boozer which is a favourite among Hull City fans on matchdays.
The “larger than life” publican – who wasn’t shy about kicking out those misbehaving – was a great grandfather. Claire Robson, who is Shaun’s stepdaughter but considered him her dad, described how a tight-knit group of regulars always looked out for the music-loving landlord.
Claire fondly remembers her dad’s very dry sense of humour and telling those barred they could “come back in a week”. She said: “He was a very kind hearted man who was very caring and would do anything for the regulars.”
Shaun recently retired but was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in April, later discovering it was untreatable. He died last week despite having treatment to keep the disease at bay.
He was originally from Rotherham but moved to Hull in the late 1980s. In the mid 1990s he began working for Bass Brewery before getting his first pub, the Zetland Arms on Portobello Street and then later The Dolphin on Bilton Grange.
In 1997, Shaun became the landlord of The Silver Cod, where he spent nearly a quarter of a century. “He absolutely adored that pub – he was known as The Silver Cod legend,” said Claire who recounts the colourful life in “the Cod” over the years including Elvis-themed charity events and bustling matchdays with trumpeters and drummers.
“All of the staff were good to us and the family was well respected by the regulars,” Claire explained. “We all took our turns too – he had us working behind the bar. Free of charge, of course!”
Shaun had started out his pub career on the doors of another Hull venue where the landlord had suggested he become a publican. Claire explained: “So he and my mum did all the training, which I think was at a place on Sutton Fields where they did all the training for Bass. And that’s how it started.
“He was a relief manager at first before he was offered the Zetland. It was some little crazy area – and not the easiest of pubs he was given – but he was always well respected in all the pubs he had. He never suffered fools. If someone wasn’t adhering to the rules, they’d be out.”
Claire added: “He loved his music and he’d always say to us: “get a quid out of the tips box and put a certain tune on” and if he didn’t like the music anyone was playing on the jukebox he’d turn it down, telling them it must be playing up.”
A love for Barry White, Phil Collins and Ed Sheeran’s ‘Perfect’ meant Silver Cod regulars were often treated to Shaun’s popular taste. He also held an affinity for actor John Candy, who he is said to have resembled in his early life.
Claire’s mum Carol had been divorced from Shaun for about 18 years but the pair kept a good relationship, sharing son Thomas and his other stepdaughters Michelle and Keeley. With his subsequent partner, Tammy, Shaun was father to Mason and stepfather to Joshua. He also had seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
“Me and my sisters were actually stepchildren but he brought me up from the age of seven,” Claire explained. “That’s how caring he was – he had been a single man and he’d brought up three girls. He always treated us as though we were his real daughters.
“He’d been in my life for 42 years so to me, he was my dad. He would never forget to say “I love you”. He was an amazing man.”
A funeral for Shaun will take place on Thursday, December 4 at Chanterlands Crematorium followed by a wake at The Country Park Inn. Owing to the number of people expected to attend, a wake at The Silver Cod is not possible, though Claire and the family plan to raise a glass to him there later that day.