CAMRA’s Pub Heritage Group shares news and updates about pubs with historically significant interiors across the country. For further news, see the Pub Heritage webpage here.

Three Star Heritage Pubs

Vine, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire

The Vine (above) is a very rare example of a small Victorian, back-street local and has been in the same family since 1939. The pub closed in 2021, following the retirement of landlord Sid Alcock. Sid sadly passed away last year, and now the Vine is due to be auctioned on 25 November with the seemingly low reserve of £25,000. The pub is Grade II-listed, and planning permission would be required for any change of use. More information about the Vine’s sale can be found on the Butters John Bee website here.

Britons Protection, Manchester, Greater Manchester (above)

Licensees Allan Hudd and Mark West have been battling Star Pubs & Bars for three years following the latter’s move to bring the pub into its managed portfolio. The Pub Heritage Group is very happy to report that following legal hearings, Star has now agreed to renew Allan and Mark’s lease for 10 years. There is, however, no further news regarding the planning application to build a 26-storey tower block next door to the pub. This was lodged in June 2022, and if successful, would block the light from the pub’s beer garden, threatening its viability. Further information about the pub’s future can be found on the Manchester Evening News website here.

Black Horse, Preston, Lancashire (above)

The Pub Heritage Group congratulates licensee Dan Taylor and all at the Black Horse for making it through to the final four of CAMRA’s Pub of the Year competition. Owned by Robinson’s brewery, the Black Horse was rebuilt in 1898 and retains an impressive Victorian interior including the magnificent semi-circular ceramic bar counter – one of only 14 in the country. The overall winner of Pub of the Year title is due to be announced in the new year.

Station Buffet, Bridlington, East Yorkshire (above)

The Pub Heritage Group last reported on the Station Buffet in July 2023 when brewer Brass Castle withdrew its planning application to refurbish this truly rare, licensed railway station buffet. The pub is one of only two on the main UK rail network that have remained unaltered, with the other being the Two Star Station Buffet Bar at Stalybridge. The Station Buffet has now been closed for five years and is being advertised as suitable for various retail and hospitality uses. Any change of use will require planning permission. Find more information about the pub’s sale on the Lambert Smith Hampton website here.

Fort Bar, Belfast, Northern Ireland (above)

The Fort Bar closed on 23 September, and owner the Beannchor Group is looking to either find a new leaseholder or put the pub on the market. The Pub Heritage Group would welcome any further news. The Fort Bar has an interior dating to 1885 which features five mahogany snug compartments across from the servery. The servery itself retains a splendidly ornate seven-bay bar back and counter with a tiled fringe typical of Northern Ireland. More information about the pub’s closure can be found on the Irish News website here.

Duke William, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire (above)

Following its closure in August, as reported in the September bulletin, the Duke William has reopened with new licensee Judy Bolton taking on the lease.

Eyre Arms, Hassop, Derbyshire (above)

The Eyre Arms, which has been shut since lockdown, is due to reopen next year. The Pub Heritage Group last reported on the Eyre Arms in August 2023 following the news that the owner was evicting the licensee who was living in, but not opening, the pub. Originally built as a farmhouse in 1632, Eyre Arms has been a pub since at least 1753. The pub was added to the inventory in 2019 due to its unspoilt 1950s interior.

Fox, Ysceifog, North West Wales (above)

Licensees Christopher and Alwena Swallow, who have run the Fox for the past 14 years, have bought the freehold. With their tenancy due to end next year, they were due to retire, but fearing the pub may then close for good, the decision was made to buy it, ensuring the Fox’s survival. A wonderfully unspoilt village pub, the Fox has been little altered since the 1930s. More information about the pub’s sale can be found on the Rhyl Journal website here.

Two Star Heritage Pubs

Old Swan, Atherstone, West Midlands (above)

The Old Swan has been upgraded from One to Two Star status. Occupying a 16th-century, timber-framed building, there has been little change since a refurbishment of 1962. The layout of the public bar, lounge and snug were created at this time and are rich in fittings redolent of the period.

Vale Hotel, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire (above)

Due to significant changes made since it was added to the inventory, the Vale Hotel has been downgraded from Three Star to Two Star status. Designed by the architect T Cecil Howitt, the Vale Hotel was built in 1937 and, despite changes, remains a rare surviving example of an Art Deco pub of the period.

Pretty Bricks, Walsall, West Midlands (above)

The application for listing of the Pretty Bricks (named after its attractive glazed brick frontage) made by CAMRA has been turned down by Historic England. While Historic England acknowledges its elaborate frontage, it is not deemed to meet the criteria for listing as it is a standard example of a public house of this date, of which there are many surviving examples. The interior, which dates from a 1920s refit, is not considered by Historic England to meet the criteria either, as this refit has resulted in the partial loss of the earlier layout. Considering that many of the interiors included on the National Inventory are non-original refits, this is disappointing news.

One Star Heritage Pubs

Cuckoo Bush Inn, Gotham, Nottinghamshire (above)

The Cuckoo Bush Inn, built in 1858, has reopened following a major refurbishment by owner Star Pubs & Bars. The Pub Heritage Group hopes the public bar, with its narrow bench seating and old counter, remain unaltered and would welcome any updates.

Sir Charles Napier, Leicester, Leicestershire

This 1930s pub has reopened under the Craft Union banner following a refurbishment by owner Stonegate. The lounge bar has been refurbished with little of the heritage features remaining. A reassessment by the Pub Heritage Group will be required.

Hanbury, Islington, Greater London North

Following a refurbishment, the remaining historic fittings are now insufficient to merit a One Star status, so the Hanbury has now been removed from the National Inventory.

If you have any news for CAMRA’s Heritage Pubs team, send to: info@pubheritage.camra.org.uk. If you wish to receive the bulletins directly, sign up by sending an email to bulletin@pubheritage.camra.org.uk with the word “subscribe” as the subject or “unsubscribe” if you wish to stop receiving bulletins.

Photos by Michael Slaughter