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

Three Star Heritage Pubs

Fort Bar, Belfast, Northern Ireland

The Pub Heritage Group reported last month that the Fort Bar (above) had closed. Owner Beannchor Group has now put the pub on the market through Avison Young for £195,000. The main ground floor bar features five Victorian 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. Unfortunately, much of the timberwork was painted over during a refurbishment in 2022. More information about the pub’s potential sale can be found on the Avison Young website here.

Traveller’s Rest, Alpraham, Cheshire (above)

Building works are currently underway to repair the damage caused to the pub by a lorry which was covered in the February bulletin. The builders are reusing as much of the original material as possible and hope to finish within a month. This traditionally run pub has been in the same family ownership since 1900 and consists of four rooms with most of the fittings dating from a 1937 refit.

Two Star Heritage Pubs

Waggon & Horses, Ibstock, Leicestershire (above)

This traditional Georgian village pub has been upgraded from One to Two Star status. It retains a multi-room layout with the last significant refurbishment being in the 1960s. Notable features include the hefty bench seating in the pool room, the rare inter-war stove in the bar with its flue pipe rising to the ceiling and the mostly unaltered (since the 1960s) servery.

Nova Scotia, Bristol, Gloucestershire & Bristol (above)

The Pub Heritage Group reported in April this year that this wonderful harbourside pub was due to be taken into Heineken Star Pubs & Bars’ managed portfolio. Fears over what may happen appear to have been unfounded as the pub reopened over the summer with no significant changes apart from new fire doors. The new licensee, Sam Gregory, also runs the nearby Rose of Denmark. More information about the pub’s reopening can be found on the Bristol247 website here.

One Star Heritage Pubs

Swan & Railway, Wigan, Greater Manchester (above)

Previously on the Outstanding Conversions and Restoration (OCR) list, the Swan & Railway has been added to the inventory with One Star status. Built in 1898, it suffered a serious fire in 1985 and subsequently there was a good deal of reconstruction and replacement. Union Inns, which also runs the Woodman in Birmingham, bought the Swan & Railway in 2019. The pub underwent major restoration works, which resulted in winning the Historic England Conservation category of CAMRA’s Pub Design Awards in 2021. New evidence has recently been supplied by John Brearley of Union Inns demonstrating that more of the original fabric had survived the fire than previously thought.

Pot Sill, Glasgow, Greater Glasgow & Clyde Valley

The Pot Still was also on the OCR list and has been included on the inventory with One Star status. The pub has an impressive gantry, but both it and the bar counter date from an extensive refurbishment c1971. It retains the building’s mid-Victorian features of an ornate cornice, ceiling roses and columns holding up the ceiling. Cask beer is served via traditional Aitken tall founts. The Pot Still is also one of Scotland’s leading whisky pubs with a collection of around 750 malts.

Olde Leathern Bottel, Wednesbury, West Midlands (above)

Also gaining One Star status is the Olde Leathern Bottel, which occupies a building said to date back to the 16th century. It was partly rebuilt in 1913 and then refitted by Mitchell & Butlers around 1960. It has four small rooms with a drinking lobby and contains many features from a 1960s refit as well as some inter-war bar fittings.

Agricultural Inn, Penrith, Cumbria (above)

Known as the Aggi, and previously named the Agricultural Hotel, the Pub Heritage Group can happily report that the pub reopened on 21 November after closing in the summer of 2023. The Valiant Pub Company is the new owner with licensees Megan McCall and Thomas McLaughlin running the pub. The impressive Victorian servery with its working sash screens remains untouched following a refurbishment. More information about the pub’s reopening can be found on the Penrith Town website here.

Bell, Bloxwich, West Midlands

The Pub Heritage Group reported on the closure of the Bell in the September bulletin. The freehold of this early 20th-century corner pub is for sale through Fletcher CRE for £400,000 with a lease option. Walsall CAMRA applied to list the pub with Historic England in 2011, but this application was refused. The branch however did successfully apply for an ACV for the pub in 2015, which the Pub Heritage Group assumes has now expired. More information about the Bell’s potential sale can be found on the Fletcher CRE website here.

Sir Charles Napier, Leicester, Leicestershire

Following a refurbishment of the Sir Charles Napier by Stonegate, as reported in the October bulletin, the pub has been completely modernised with few original features retained. Consequently, it has now been removed from the inventory.

Other Items of Interest

Heritage Pubs of Sunderland & South Tyneside

Sunderland & South Tyneside CAMRA has created a 39-page downloadable document listing its Pub Heritage Local Inventory. If you are considering compiling a Local Inventory for your area, the Pub Heritage Group recommends a look here.

If you have 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 and Mark Shirley