Gradings of heritage pubs

History

Despite the turmoil in the licensed trade over recent years, Britain remains blessed with many pubs that retain traditional, and often beautiful, historic interiors. Over thirty years ago, a body of CAMRA members began compiling a National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors. Initially, they aimed to identify and record the most intact pre-war pub interiors, regardless of their architectural distinction. Before long, it was decided also to include pubs with special features or rooms of national significance. By then, around 270 pubs had inventory status.

The next step was to develop Regional Inventories, capturing interiors that fell short of the criteria for the national list but were nonetheless of significant historic interest. Around the same time, early post-war pubs built on traditional lines and still intact also became eligible for inclusion.

How We Assess

A few years ago, Pub Heritage Group (PHG) agreed to move to a single Inventory, based around a grading system using star ratings. Interiors are eligible for consideration if they have remained essentially unaltered for at least 50 years. There are three key aspects for assessments: -

Layout - survival of historic layout and internal divisions, either intact or readily discernible.

Historic Fittings and Decor – particularly old or original bar counters, bar-backs (gantries), fixed seating, fireplaces, plasterwork, vestibules, panelling, tiling and other ceramics.

Notable Rooms & Features - such as partitioned snugs; counter-less pubs; tiled paintings; snob screens etc.

The rarity of both historic layouts and historic fittings counts very high in the selection process.

Gradings

The current grading system is, we hope, simple and easy to understand. Within the single National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors are three grades:

Three Star pubs are of outstanding historic importance. They will have stayed wholly or largely intact, in terms of layout and fittings, and/or retain rooms or features that are truly rare or exceptional. Only limited loss of such components is allowable before an interior fails this standard. Currently 303 pubs are in this category.

Two Star pubs are of very special historic interest. They are highly important but fall just short of Three Star levels of overall intactness and/or rarity. Lost elements, often of layout, are clearly in evidence. There are presently 270 such pubs.

One Star pubs, by far the most numerous category (740), are of special historic interest. They have either readily identifiable historic layouts or retain rooms or features of special interest. More significant changes are allowable than for the first two categories.

How You Can Help

PHG keeps gradings under continual review and makes changes where appropriate. Generally, this is because alterations to an interior have impacted on the pub’s historic importance. In other cases, members will re-assess current gradings, especially where a pub has not been surveyed for a long time or where a wider range of views is felt to be beneficial.

We are always keen to hear from visitors to the listed pubs, especially where there have been changes that we might not know about.