New Inn, Tywardreath

19th century stone building (source English Heritage listed building description – the pub claims 1752). The building to the south of the pub is called the ‘Town Hall’ and was built by the landlord of the New Inn as a function room, rather than a municipal headquarters. Between 1862-1931 the Magistrates Court was held here The old portico on the front of the pub is said to have been moved from the ‘town hall’ next door in 1932. Front door leads to an opened-out corridor with the bare boarded public bar on the left, which is little changed.

The public bar has a Victorian panelled bar counter with brackets all along it – look for the slotted brass plate in the counter top is believed to be for the tokens issued by the owners of the local copper mine. In 1932 the Rashleigh Estate sold the pub to St Austell but it came with a covenant which required it to sell draught Bass in perpetuity and the beer is still sold these days from casks on a stillage behind the bar counter. A model of the interior of the pub shows the stillage was originally all the way along the back wall. The bar back shelves above the stillage are 1990s replacements and the mirrors date from 2005.

There is full height old panelling painted black around the servery which extends as far as the fireplace and there is an old panelled ceiling above the servery area. If you look up at the ceiling there are signs that a partition existed on the right hand side providing a small separate serving area in the distant past. On the left the fireplace is a 1950s tiled one with a log fire and there are good old benches.

A wide doorway on the front right leads to the small smoking room, the opening-up having taken place c.1976. It retains a 1930s wood surround fireplace. A door with the figure '4' on it leads to the rear bare boarded passageway which has a door at the rear of the servery with a ledge – this was the off sales no doubt accessed from the exterior door at the end of the passageway. Sadly, the top split door was removed recently but look for the working gas light near the off sales hatch which was used in recent times during a power cut.

On the rear right the music room has a figure '2' on the door and until recently had a bar counter which was added in the 1970s. On the rear left is a Bistro room brought into use in recent times.