Newshouse, Nottingham: Central

The gents urinals are a 1960s 9-bay masterpiece of substantial, functional white ceramic which appear to have been designed with coach parties - or football fans? - in mind.

ELAIN HARWOOD (Historic England) & CHRIS MATTHEWS (20th Century Society): "First recorded as a beerhouse in 1848, the Newshouse was located in one of the most deprived areas of Nottingham and as the name suggests provided an opportunity for working men to update themselves with current affairs and read the news. Shortwood Close was built in the 1920s after slum clearance. The area was heavily bombed in WWII, including some damage to the pub and in 1963 Home Brewery extended the existing building to the East with a design by W.B.Starr, Clifford & Carman. The left hand wall of the original building was retained.

“The new pub opened on 19 November 1965 – the church was across Stonewell Close. C/PS/B/48/16 There are two main sets of plans for the rebuilding of the News House under this application. Chief Constable’s Office City Police HQ 22 reported in November 1950 on the first design by W. B. Starr, Hall and Clifford (not built): ‘The proposed alterations aim at a modern reconstruction of the whole premises. The completed building will be of two storeys and will be extended some 14ft to the east to bring it to the building line of Shortwood Close.’ The drawings show two lobbies, one leading to an off-sales area, one to a lounge, with a smoke room in the middle.

“This was not built, but is of interest as despite the extension, the Chief Constable’s office recommended approval as the former first-floor club room was to be converted into living accommodation – the loss of the first-floor drinking area was seen as a great improvement. Instead the pub was altered and extended following an application made in June 1963 by the successor practice of W. B Starr, Clifford and Carman for Home Brewery, with new fire doors and a proposed extension – this is what we see today.

“The existing building, with two narrow bars off a central lobby, was extended towards Shortwood Close to the east; the left-hand wall was retained, including part of the rear wing containing the case store behind a yard. At first-floor level the first two windows of the front were retained, with four new bedrooms added over a new public bar. Two bars, with back to back central service are entered from a central baffle entrance; there was no off-sales. To the rear part of the cellar was retained, but with a new wine store, beer cellar and barrel drop, the latter set behind the men’s urinal – the gentlemen’s lavatories were behind the public (right-hand) bar and the ladies’ behind the lounge (left) as now.

“The pub was reopened by Tynemill on 19 April 2002 after it was threatened with demolition. The name first appeared in directories in 1848 (Nottingham Evening Post, 18 April 2002, via L64.3, Nottingham Local Studies Library cuttings box). The blue tiles and lettering are new – a photo in 2001 shows different signage and a stone entrance door.

“Today, the News House has a symmetrical four bay front with blue tiles to ground floor that have a slightly opalescent glaze, and include the name ‘Newshouse’ in white over the door. There are replacement windows to the first floor street front, but the originals survive to the ground floor and almost all the side elevation. Inside the central door you turn left or right into two bars of similar size, that to the left part-carpeted, that to the right wholly boarded with a pool table and bar billiards. The servery areas are back to back ahead of the entrance forming a baffle. The bar areas are of timber, with timber counters and bar fronts and bar backs, there are timber dados to both bars, with fixed seating all round, and some matchboarding in the linking corridor to the rear.

“The pub was taken over in 2011 by Castle Rock ‘who didn’t change it because nothing needed to be done’, said the manager. Fixtures are stripped and heavily varnished but basically original, and it is a really pleasant pub. There is a small car park on a separate cleared site at the rear. (Elain Harwood {Historic England} & Chris Matthews {C20 East Midlands}).

[Nottingham City Council; Castle Ward / Nottingham South Parliamentary Constituency]