Pub Heritage Bulletin 220 May 2021

Cumbria, PHEASANT INN, Bassenthwaite. Good news that The Pheasant Inn has been listed grade II by Historic England. The previously unlisted 18th Century coaching inn came under scrutiny following a planning application for lodge buildings and ongoing internal refurbishment. The National Inventory pub is recognised as being the best inter-war hotel bar in England. The listing report can be read here: Historic England. The report specifically mentions the interior and reasons for listing include: ’the inter-war bar retains its original character and finishes, and has a rare and complete early-C20 interior including a bar counter, bar back and stove;’ and ‘the retention of a side passage with original panelled partition, signage and serving hatch is a rare survival as examples are increasingly dwindling nationally’. Reference to the National Inventory is made in the report, and follows an application for listing by the Pub Heritage Group.
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Staffordshire, VINE, Stoke-on-Trent. We hear from the landlord Sid Alcock, now in his nineties, that the pub is shut and he has retired. Sid is planning to continue living at the pub and hopefully a solution can be found to keep the pub open. The grade II listed Vine, a small completely unspoilt Victorian back street local, and a rare survival has been run by Sid’s family since 1939. Worth reading this review from 2019: Stoke Sentinel.
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Kent, QUEEN’S ARMS, Cowden Pound. Roger Corbett reports that this classic rural time warp appears to not be re-opening and is unfortunately being used as a B&B holiday let, including the bar areas. To maximise revenue from the building, owners Jonathan & Min Hancock have also set up a pop up pub and a takeaway food operation - two separate businesses. From the outbuildings at the rear you can buy drinks and bar snacks from a hatch and drink in what was the car park. The current opening hours are Fri 5 to 9; Sat 5 to 9; Sun 12 to 4 but you should check Queens Arms Cowden Pound Facebook page for updates to these hours: Queens Arms . In addition, the Queens Arms Kitchen operates from barn doors alongside the so called ‘mini bar’ and has a separate Queens Arms Kitchen Facebook page and this business operates very different hours from the ‘pub’ part. This use of the pub interior as a B&B holiday let is a breach of planning law and consequently planning enforcement have been alerted by the Pub Heritage Group.
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Gloucestershire & Bristol, KINGS HEAD, Bristol. Some re-assuring news from Bristol. The Kings Head with its unique snug, the Tramcar Bar, had been closed since March 2020 and there were concerns over its future. Owners Stonegate have confirmed they are intending to re-open, and recognise the value of its historic interior : Bristol Post . Thanks to Pete Bridle for this update.
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In The Press:
Mid-Wales, CROWN & ANCHOR, Llanidloes. Report on the re-opening of the Crown & Anchor with new landlords John Fitzpatrick and Jayne Hexley who took over the pub in 2018, following the retirement of legendary landlady Ruby Holmes, who had run the pub for over 50 years. See: Powys County Times .
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Greater London East, FESTIVAL INN, Poplar. Mick Slaughter has recommended this interesting article on the Festival Inn by Boak and Bailey. The Festival Inn is a rare surving post war pub, constructed in 1950-51, and Designed by Sir Fredrick Gibberd as part of the Festival of Britain’s ‘Live Exhibition of Architecture’ located at Poplar. Boak and Bailey.
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Tyne & Wear, MOUNTAIN DAISY, Sunderland. We reported on the new tenant in the December bulletin. The Buffet Bar of this Grade II* listed Edwardian pub is recognised as one of the most spectacular pub rooms in the country. The wonderful ceramic work is by Craven Dunhill and includes a stunning quarter circle ceramic bar counter. News on its re-opening is coved here: Sunderland Echo.
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Greater Manchester, CIRCUS TAVERN, Manchester. Write up of the famous Circus Tavern in central Manchester run by landlord Barry Hayes, who has been there since 2007. The Circus claims the smallest bar in Europe – not the smallest pub they hasten to add! Manchester’s Finest
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North and South, Victorian heritage in our pubs. Coming up on July 1st, the Victorian Society’s West Yorkshire Group are hosting an online lecture by Geoff Brandwood, chaired by Paul Ainswoth. The lecture focuses on the differences between pubs of the North and South in the Victorian era. Tickets are available here: Eventbrite


A Big Thank You
Mick Slaughter reports on a successful call for help:
We received 14 offers of help in response to our appeal to help collect information on reopening of pubs with historic interiors so thank you.

Special thanks go to James Thornley, who is checking that the website, Facebook, email and phone number details on the Historic Pub Interiors website and making numerous changes to update the detail / add details that we did not previously have.
Checking that the pubs have reopened has been done by Paul Ruthven; Michael Schouten; Paul Chilcott; Adrian Smith; Peter R Jones; Richard Langford; Pete Farrand; and Stuart Mumby. Tony Hedger has agreed to include an appeal in the next edition of London Drinker.
Also, a number of you have already supplied photos of pubs where we do not have any on the website including Janice Arkulisz; Michael Schouten; Adrian Smith; and other photos are promised – excellent.

More Help Required
We still have many hundreds of pubs to check if they have reopened – this involves inspecting Facebook pages, websites and sometimes ringing pubs – if you can help please email Mick Slaughter: m.slaughter7@btinternet.com

More Photos Required Please
As well as requiring photos where there are none, it is important that the website has up to date photographs of a pub – particularly interior ones – but exterior ones can get out of date as pubs regularly repaint exteriors.
Taking good exterior photos is straightforward and potentially anyone can do it and the cameras in iPhones and Android equivalents can take excellent images. For the best image take a photo of a pub when the sun is shining on the front of it and with a blue sky background as this gives you the perfect picture. Best to take your photo well away from the pub to reduce ‘converging verticals’ and have plenty of foreground and sky, which enables users of the Photoshop software to make a correction.

We also require well-lit interior photographs showing historic fittings. Taking good interior photos is a skill to be learned and requires a tripod and ideally some flash guns. Where we have no interior photos or there are changes such as repainting etc. then do please send us any recent ones. (If not ‘well-lit’ Mick can, with the permission of the photographer, tweak them using Photoshop).

The best way to send some photos to CAMRA Pub Heritage Group is by using We Transfer - you may have to click on ‘take me to free’ – and send them to m.slaughter7@btinternet.com. Please include the name of the photographer, thank you.

You can also continue to send any news on your local Heritage Pubs to: info@pubheritage.camra.org.uk.

Please feel free to forward this bulletin to your friends who are also interested in visiting pubs like these - if they wish to receive future bulletins direct all they have to do is sign up by sending an email to bulletin@pubheritage.camra.org.uk .

Tom Chapman