CAMRA’s Pub Heritage Group shares news and updates about pubs with historically significant interiors across the UK. For further news see the Pub Heritage Group webpage here.
Heritage Award
The winner of the 2025 Heritage Award is the Vine (above), Pittshill, Stoke-on-Trent (Three Star rating) with the runner up prize going to the Crown Inn, Stockport (One Star rating).
The award celebrates the revitalisation of a heritage pub that is included on the National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors.
Vine, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
The Vine is a rare surviving example of a well-preserved, small, back-street Victorian local, consisting of three small rooms off a central corridor. The pub had been owned by the same family since 1939 until its closure in 2021, leading to concerns over its future. New owners Steve Burke and Lisa Combes bought the Vine at auction in November 2024, with the aim of bringing it back to its former glory and preserving the historic interior. Following repair and restoration work, the Vine reopened in June 2025.
Crown, Stockport, Greater Manchester (above)
A 19th-century pub with a multi-room layout, the Crown was one of the finest cask beer pubs in Stockport for many years and was runner up in the 2009 National Pub of the Year competition. Following a period of decline, with a number of short-term licensees, the pub’s historic interior suffered unsympathetic refurbishments. Fortunately, in 2025 the lease for the Crown, which is owned by Red Oak Taverns, was taken on by Alan and Chris Gent of the award-winning Petersgate Tap. Following a sympathetic and well-received refurbishment, the pub reopened in August 2025 and, with eight cask beers from independent brewers at the bar, it has regained its rightful place at the heart of Stockport’s beer scene.
Three Star heritage pubs
Garden Gate, Leeds, West Yorkshire (above)
This illustrious pub is now closed, adding to the long-term growing concerns over signs of neglect. The Garden Gate is the “jewel in the crown” of historic pub architecture in Yorkshire with a lavish Edwardian interior and magnificent curved ceramic bar. It gained a Grade II* listing in 2010 following an application by CAMRA. Around that time, it was acquired by Leeds brewery, whose former owners still retain the pub but have since moved their main activities to London. The latest situation adds fuel to the ever-increasing fears for the pub’s future.
Shakespeare, Farnworth, Greater Manchester (above)
The Pub Heritage Group last reported on the Shakespeare in January 2023, when the new owner was seeking to lease the pub for a variety of potential non-pub uses. A planning application has now been submitted for change of use to a mixed use of house in multiple occupation (HMO) and commercial. The application closes for comments on 17 February. The work to convert the upper floor to HMO has started and a car sales company is already in operation on the site without the relevant planning permission. The Shakespeare, which is Grade II-listed, was built in 1926 and remains one of the finest surviving examples of a high-quality, 1920s suburban pub. CAMRA’s national planning and policy advisor Paul Ainsworth has submitted a strong objection to the application on behalf of the Pub Heritage Group. Read more about the planning application on Bolton News here.
Red Lion, Llandovery, West Wales (above)
The Red Lion has been closed since 2016. The plans to reopen this classic time-warp pub were last covered in March 2025, when a planning application had been submitted by the new owner to sympathetically restore the historic pub. Building works are underway.
Blue Ship, The Haven, West Sussex (above)
The Blue Ship usually closes for a few weeks after Christmas during the post-festive period, which is traditionally a difficult time for pubs. With the current tough economic climate and lack of meaningful help from the government for the pub industry, the Blue Ship has decided not to reopen until March. An unspoilt country pub, the Blue Ship has a wonderfully atmospheric low-beamed main bar with service through a hatch. Read more about the opening hours in the Argus here.
One Star heritage pubs
Tollemache Arms, Mossley, Greater Manchester (above)
This end terrace pub, owned by Robinsons since 1926, has been put up for sale with an asking price of £175,000. The interior dates back to a 1920s refit undertaken by Robinsons. Read more about the sale in the Correspondent here.
Big Gun Hotel, Sheffield, South Yorkshire (above)
The retrospective planning application to convert the Big Gun has been approved. The upper floor is to be an HMO, and the ground-floor pub area will be divided into commercial units. The owner had already gutted the interior with the intention of turning it into a pizza outlet as reported in May 2024.
Earle Arms, Heydon, Norfolk (above)
This picturesque, village pub, which was originally a coaching inn, dates back to the 18th century and is owned, along with the rest of the village, by the Heydon Estate. Licensee Andrew Harrison, who has run the pub for 26 years, retired at Christmas. The Earle Arms is due to reopen with new tenants in the spring after a planned refurbishment. The Pub Heritage Group would welcome any updates. Read more in the Eastern Daily Press here.
Other Items of Interest
Alan Canvess
It is with great sadness that the Pub Heritage Group must announce the passing of Alan Canvess (above), who died 30 December 2025 aged 68.
Described by the Pub Heritage Group as CAMRA’s most hard-working and talented regional activists, Alan contributed greatly to pub heritage campaigning, especially in Yorkshire.
Alan was a major figure for the Hull and East Yorkshire CAMRA branch throughout the 1980s, with long spells as chair and magazine editor, and always was a passionate campaigner for historic pubs. Often outspoken, but always sincere, polite and friendly, Alan had a mature awareness of the professional approach required to promote and protect pubs.
He immersed himself in providing heritage advice on many planning proposals affecting pubs, often spending long hours on research or liaising with like-minded colleagues and local historians to present well-reasoned evidence to official bodies. He helped secure early statutory listing for National Inventory mainstays like Hull’s Olde Black Boy, Polar Bear and St Johns, plus the Eagle in Skerne and, quite audaciously, the entire railway station at Bridlington to help protect its unique Station Buffet.
From the 1990s he was not only a core member of CAMRA’s National Planning Advisory Group but also of the team compiling the Yorkshire Regional Inventory, where his contributions included a first comprehensive appraisal for the whole of East Yorkshire.
Heritage pubs – how many have you visited?
The Pub Heritage Group would like to thank everyone who has emailed how many National Inventory pubs they have visited and their favourites. Please keep sending them to the team at info@pubheritage.camra.org.uk
A list of all inventory pubs is available here. Select Export CSV on the right to download the list as an Excel spreadsheet.
Readers’ favourite National Inventory pubs have included:
Black Horse, Preston
Star, Bath
Castle, Macclesfield
Albion, Conwy
Square and Compass, Worth Matravers
Three Stags’ Heads, Wardlow Mires
Laurieston, Glasgow
The people who have visited the most National Inventory pubs are:
Vesa Saarinen: 752 (Vesa lives in Finland, so this demonstrates extraordinary dedication)
John Clark: 597
Michael Lancaster: 351 (Three Star and Two Star pubs only)
Markus Sousa: 320
Martin Shallcross: 299 (Martin is only including Three Star pubs and has only one left to visit!)
Jeremy Hinks: 243
Peter Thorne: 204
If you have any news on heritage pubs, send to: info@pubheritage.camra.org.uk
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Photos by Michael Slaughter, Michael Croxford and Geoff Brandwood
