Many readers will be aware that CAMRA has a very active and well respected Pub Heritage Group (PHG). They maintain a unique record of our most historic and unspoilt pub interiors, lovingly researched and compiled over some 30 years. This record is available on-line at pubheritage.camra.org.uk. It includes many excellent photographs. There are also links from CAMRA’s WhatPub pub database. The group also produces printed regional guides, details of which can be found on CAMRA’s on-line shop.
As the system developed, pubs were categorised into three types, ‘National Inventory’, ‘Regional Inventory’ and ‘Some Regional Interest’. This has now been streamlined into one single National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors. Within this, there is a star rating system as follows:
Three Star: pubs of exceptional national historic importance. They will have stayed wholly or largely intact in terms of layout and fittings for the last 50 years or retain rooms or features that are truly rare or exceptional (or display a combination of the two). There are around 300 pubs in this category.
Two Star: pubs of outstanding national historic interest. They have interiors where the intactness, rarity and/or exceptional features are however somewhat lower than for Three Star.
One Star: pubs of special national historic interest. They have either readily identifiable historic layouts or retain rooms or features of special interest but more significant changes are allowed than for the first two categories.
UPDATE ON LONDON PUBS
The status of a number of pubs has been reviewed. This included some pubs in London as follows:
- The Dove (riverside, 19 Upper Mall, Hammersmith) Upgraded to three stars. The tiny snug is claimed by the Guinness Book of World Records to be the smallest public bar in Britain. The snug and front left hand rooms have barely changed in 100 years.
- Bunch of Grapes (207 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge). Upgraded to three stars. Built in 1844, it retains much from a late Victorian re-fitting. Of particular note are the rare partitions and snob screens, back painted mirrors and the possibly inter-war bar fittings.
- Feeleys (99 Union Road, Clapham) Upgraded to three stars. A rare survival of a virtually intact three-room pub layout from 1936 when it was rebuilt by Young’s brewery. Formerly the Prince of Wales, it was sold by Young’s in 1993.
- Park Tavern (212 Merton Road, Southfields) Upgraded to two stars. Built in 1902 and included for the amount of fittings retained from a 1926 refit, including an impressive inglenook fireplace.
- Winchester (206 Archway Road, Highgate) Downgraded to two stars. Recently reopened. However, during the refurbishment, a number of changes were made, including the replacement of the Victorian bar counter with a modern one and the removal of fittings from the impressive publican’s office which has been repurposed as a snug.
This information was taken, with thanks, from PHG’s April 2023 Pub Heritage Bulletin.
NATIONAL BREWERY HERITAGE CENTRE
Readers will recall that, somewhat controversially, the National Brewery Centre in Burton on Trent closed late last year. I’m happy to report that a new site has been found in the High Street and it should be open by 2025. In the meantime, the priceless National Brewery Collection is being moved to a temporary home in Station Road. This move is being funded by Molson Coors. A new collections officer has been appointed by the National Brewery Heritage Trust to oversee the move, with the assistance of a team of volunteers. The work will involve making a comprehensive inventory of the archive.