Seven Stars, Falmouth

Prominently sited in front of a small square in the centre of town, the Seven Stars is an urban classic. The original Victorian building (1868?) was extended to the right in 1912 and an off-sales shop added. Closed during the war it was not re-opened until the late 1980s but as this didn't work out and when the local tobacconist retired, the business was transferred to the Seven Stars shop and continued until 2006. The pub has been in the same family since 1868 and, as well as being a local Anglican clergyman, Rev. Barrington Bennetts was behind the bar for over 50 years until his death in 2011. A notable feature of the exterior was the sign board high up at roof level - which fell down during a storm and is still to be replaced. Such boards commonly feature in old pictures of pubs but they have now all but disappeared.

The completely unspoilt public bar at the front has a late Victorian counter, shelves and a wooden stillage from around 1898. The beer is served from casks behind the bar the metal stillages were introduced in 1947 and 1949. The white marble counter on the right dates from the days when there was a separate oyster bar - see the brown paper bag in a frame on the wall on the left. Sadly, the glass snack counter on stilts introduced by Meredith & Drew in the mid-1950s has recently been removed but there are still-working gas lights at each end of the bar. The tiled fireplace dates from 1912 and seating mainly consists of benches attached to the panelled walls. Among the drinks on sale is 'Grandma's Weapons Grade Ginger Beer' but this is an alcoholic version at 5.5% ABV!

From the front door a passage leads to the rear and has an inner door with 'Saloon Bar' and seven blue coloured stars on it which was originally positioned on the front of the pub when the main bar was subdivided by a partition. Beyond the off-sales hatch with its sliding windows and red Formica shelf is the rear smoke room. This also has a 1912 tiled fireplace, two large plain mirrors of some antiquity, a hatch/doorway to the back of the bar, skylight and 1960s seating. Look for the "coffin hatch" in the ceiling. The former gents' outside WC is now the ladies' while the gents' facilities are inside. Former landlord the Rev. Bennetts was only the second real person to appear in The Beano comic (No 3151 for 7 Dec 2002 - "Crazy for Daisy") where the Seven Stars was called "The Reverend's Pop Shop" with a story all about him selling 'pop to the whole of Beanoland' for 50 years! A cartoonist for the comic drinks here - the only other real person named in The Beano is David Beckham!