Coach & Horses, Barnburgh

The Coach & Horses was built in 1937 with a rendered exterior and replaced an older establishment of the same name (its forerunner, now a private house, stands opposite). It is a suburban-style pub in a village setting and has hardly altered since built. For Thirties planning to survive so completely in a pub of this type and size is exceptional indeed, and makes this a true national rarity. As an 'improved' pub of its time, it was designed to look respectable and to offer varied facilities – a commodious 'best' smoke room with bell-pushes, a ‘refreshment room’; an entirely separate public bar; and the notably northern feature of a stand-up lobby.

It was designed by Doncaster architects Wilburn & Atkinson for the brewers Whitworth, Son & Nephew (of nearby Wath-upon-Dearne) whose wheatsheaf logo appears on the lovely glazed counter-screens that are such a signature feature of its interior. Sashed screenwork like this is rarely found in such intact form – and it is at its most authentic in the refreshment room where the bar-counter too is original. Ceilings, doors, fitted seating and tiling are all from the 1937 scheme and the substantial bar back-fitting, with its plain styling and multiple drawers, is noteworthy in its own right. Statutorily listed in 2010 following a successful application by CAMRA.

Whitworth, Son & Nephew were acquired by John Smith’s Tadcaster Brewery Co. Ltd. in 1958 with 165 tied houses and brewing ceased. After a number of years in pub company ownership; and closed since 2016; in 2020 it was purchased by enlightened new owners who have carried out an exemplary refurbishment so a visit is highly recommended and is rewarded by being able to drink tasty locally produced real ales from the Don Valley Brewery.

The door on the far left of the building originally lead to the off sales which is now in use as a kitchenette area. The door retains its original glazed panel above. The lobby has wall tiling in claret, etc. to two-thirds height. Inner door lost, this narrow space with more colourful tiling on both walls still retains the bell push situated where originally there would have been a counter.

Enter by the main left hand corner doors which lead to a lobby with original tiling to two thirds height on left and right sides. There are double doors in an inner screen where the top windows are original and in 2020 similar leaded windows were added at the lower level to match the style of the originals. The spacious lobby bar has a parquet floor with an Art Deco design added in 2020. The bar counter front had been covered by fresh panels in the 1970s and in 2020 these were removed to reveal the original 1937 one which has been renovated. The upper sections of the sash screens remain but the lower ones were removed some years ago and placed in the cellar; bar top has been replaced. Note some original Whitworth’s memorabilia on the walls.

Off the lobby bar the gents’ toilet retains its original interwar floor tiling and dado wall tiling, the latter having had the paint added in recent years recently removed (modern urinal). The ladies' also retain the original white & dark green floor tiles and interwar dado wall tiling with paint removed recently.

To the left is what was originally called the refreshment room and now named the whisky bar. This has a new parquet floor, the counter screen here are intact with four rising lower sections but the pulley system was in poor condition. As an example of the amazing restoration carried out by the new owners, they identified the original producers and their reference number; made contact with the company based in the USA; ordered four replacement pulleys so the screens are now back in working order. The bar counter here is the original one. Undistinguished dado panelling has been removed with fresh panels added above the dado. There are bell pushes around the room and a piano can be found here. A whisky cabinet has been built in the style of glazing in the pub so it looks like it has always been here. The original cornice remains but the other ceiling decoration is new. The lower sash screens from three of the four serveries was found in the cellar but the wood was rotten so they have carefully converted them into window screens – three panels can be found on the whisky room window and another one is part of a modern baffle-style projection near the door; two panels have Whitworth’s brewery wheatsheaf symbol.

To the right of the lobby bar is the lounge bar (was the smoke room) which has a new parquet floor; another servery where the original counter front has been re-exposed; and the four upper panels of the sash screens remain; bar top is a replacement. The 1930s fixed seating has been carefully restored; there are bell pushes around the room; the original fireplace was replaced in the 1960s and now there is one with Victorian tiles and a coal burning stove. Wood panelling above the dado is a recent addition and the original cornice forms part of the ceiling decoration. Again, former screenwork has been converted into window screens and one forms a modern baffle-style projection near the door that is suitable to use for vertical drinking!

The tap room (originally the public bar) has its own entrance on the right hand side with double doors. Above the doors the original glazing exists and from this the new owners have copied and added a colourful diamond shaped panels in the doors. The lobby has colourful interwar tiling to two-thirds height. The inner doors are in a screen where previously damaged original glazed panels had been replaced by plain ones and now have careful copies of original ones inserted (modern wording on door). There are two baffles by the entrance (and two on the right) where again some glazing is modern but difficult to spot the difference.

The tap room also has a new parquet floor and the screened servery faces three ways in a ‘thrupenny bit’ way. Again, the original counter front has been re-exposed; the four upper panels of the sash screens remain; the bar top is a replacement. The original fireplace was replaced in the 1960s with a stone one and there is a tiled and cast-iron one here now. High up above the fireplace is a little Andy Capp mural from the 1970s and now worthy of remark. Original fixed seating has been restored. The gents’ toilet here is intact with its two large Shanks urinals, original cistern, interwar floor tiling and dado wall tiling with paint removed recently. The ladies' also retain the original white and dark green floor tiles and interwar dado wall tiling with paint removed recently.

The bar back for all the bars has three distinct sections all with a row of drawers below the main shelf, also two vertical sets of drawers, and lower shelving retained but has had sliding cupboard drawers added but otherwise is in intact. As one would expect, the position for a fridge has been carefully chosen and nothing removed to insert it.