Description

P L Henderson, 1895; interior refurbished 1899 and mid-later 20th century. Public house occupying ground floor of plain 4-storey rockfaced sandstone tenement (also 1895 by Henderson). Pilastered timber-clad exterior to principal (W) elevation of pub.

W (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: 5-bay; divisions marked by fluted timber Ionic dividing pilasters on deep pedestals. Public house entrance to 2nd bay from left; 2-leaf panelled timber door. Tenement entrance (No 49) to outer right; panelled timber door with rectangular fanlight. Large re-glazed fixed multi-pane windows to remaining bays; panelled timber frontage below. Timber fascia extends across entire ground floor; replacement bracketed clock extends at right angles over public house entrance.

INTERIOR: retains most of its original (1899) features and layout. Small panelled timber vestibule at entrance with doorways with part-glazed timber doors to either side. Main bar to right; small snug/jug and bottle department to left. Interior divided by long central island bar; panelled timber counter; timber gantry incorporating shelving, mirrored glass and semicircular panels of decorative leaded coloured glass (acting as 'snob screens' for saloon); carved spandrels and fluted flanking pilasters; serving hatches below; top of gantry surmounted at intervals by 3 segmental pediments; that to centre raised. Panelled screen (its position slightly altered) incorporating original semicircular panels of decorative leaded coloured glass and door divides saloon from snug/jug and bottle department. Far end of bar occupied by separate timber gantry supporting water tank (originally for pumping draught ale); incorporating glazed panels, fluted pilaster strips, turned supports and decorative carving; segmental pediment to front of rectangular-plan water tank; clock set in panel below. Panelled dados throughout, including to 2 small open-sided rooms: that at front leading off bar formerly 'store'; that to rear, leading off saloon, formerly snug, since extended and opened out. 2 pairs of panelled stone pilasters to main room (supporting ceiling divides); each with embossed Arcadian figure to upper panel. Garlanded lincrusta frieze to walls; surmounted by ornate plaster cornices; ornate plaster ceiling roses. Replacement fixed seating.

Statement of Interest

A fine turn of the century public house interior retaining most of its original features. The timber panelling to the dado is thought to have been put up during refurbishment in 1958; however it is unclear whether this applies to all of the panelling and includes that around the bar and to the screen between the saloon and the snug/jug and bottle department (the glazed upper panels are certainly turn of the century originals). The panelling itself is of fine quality and some of it is said to have come from 'an old house nearby'. The only refurbishments (apart from that of 1899) documented in the Dean of Guilds records are those of 1969 and 1973, which mainly relate to the opening up of the small open-sided room (formerly a store room) at the front of the bar. The original ground floor of the tenement was laid out to comprise a small shop as well as a licensed premises (although the latter is not clearly shown in the 1895 plans). By 1899 the small shop had already been annexed by the bar (as a store room). Its name is thought to derive from the 2nd licensee (1902-24), John Leslie.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17794065

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  The Victorian House Manual (2nd Edition): How They Were Built, Improvements & Refurbishment, Solutions to All Common Defects - Includes Relevant ... ... Properties (Haynes Manual) (Haynes Manuals)
• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2