Pub-Heritage-Bulletin-235-Sep-2022

East of England Real Heritage Pubs.
The new revised guide, edited by Paul Ainsworth and Mick Slaughter, is now available to order from the CAMRA bookshop here: CAMRA Books.
The guide covers the counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk. An indispensable guide, painstakingly researched and lavishly illustrated, it’s a snip at £8.99 (£6.99 only for CAMRA members). Get yours now!

Northumberland, FREE TRADE, Berwick upon Tweed. Brenda Collins, who has been landlady at the Free Trade for 50 years, is retiring. We wish her all the best for her retirement. The good news is that the pub is then being taken over by her daughter and son in law on November 1st. Tyneside and Northumberland CAMRA presented Brenda with an award in July to celebrate her 50 years at the helm. See: Canny Bevy. The short article is on page 11.
See the entry on the Pub Heritage web site.

Tyne & Wear, MOUNTAIN DAISY, Sunderland. New tenants have taken over the grade II*Mountain Daisy. The spectacular tiled Buffet Bar with ceramic work by Craven Dunhill is in use (in recent years it has been closed to the public) and hosts the ‘Purple Lily Bistro’ offering award winning bistro style food. See: Sunderland Echo. Thanks to Sarah Buckingham-Howell for the update.
See the entry on the Pub Heritage web site.

Regional Inventory News

Hampshire, TICHBORNE ARMS, Tichborne. The Tichborne Arms, has re-opened following a refurbishment that includes a new rear extension to enable additional dining and connecting the previously outdoor loos to the pub. The pub had shut in 2021 following the death of the previous landlord. New licensees Joel Czopor and Susie Clarke previously ran the Grafton in Kentish Town. See: Morning Advertiser.
See the entry on the Pub Heritage web site.

Suffolk, SWAN, Worlingworth. This thatched village pub has re-opened after being closed for 7 years. It has been bought by a local farming couple after finally being put up for auction. This followed years of campaigning by the village to get it reopened. The pub had been listed as an Asset of Community Value by the parish council originally in 2014 and then renewed in 2019. See: East Anglian Daily Times. Unfortunately, we understand that the interior has been altered over the period of closure, so unlikely to retain its inventory status.
See the entry on the Pub Heritage web site.

Mid Wales, SLATERS ARMS, Corris. Tim Fediw reports on a recent refurbishment at the Slaters Arms. The works appear mainly superficial – new furniture and re-painting. But the new contemporary look with bright blue painted furniture and grey walls has sadly altered the character of the pub significantly – see the pub’s website pictures: Slaters Arms. Further to this the freehold is now for sale at £495,000. See: Right Move.
See the entry on the Pub Heritage web site.

Northumberland, QUEENS HEAD, Newbiggin by the Sea. Dave Gamston reports that the Queens Head has been radically modernised by new owners during lockdown and little is now left of the various elements that brought it regional inventory recognition.
See the entry on the Pub Heritage web site.

Closure of the National Brewery Centre, Burton upon Trent.
Most readers of this bulletin will already be aware of the Molson Corrs plan to shut the National Brewery Centre, the country's only museum for brewing and beer. It is scheduled to close on October 31st. It is planned to relocate the archive and displays to a new Heritage Centre, although there are concerns that this new site will not be suitable and will not be ready for a considerable time. CAMRA are campaigning to prevent the closure with National Executive member Gillian Hough describing it as ‘a devastating loss not only to Burton upon Trent but also to the nation’s brewing history.’ See Roger Protz’s article for more background: What’s Brewing. At the end of the article is a link to the petition to protest the closure.
There is much outrage at the plan, particularly in Burton upon Trent itself, with a march of protest in the town called for October 16th. See: Staffordshire Live. Let’s hope that the decision can be reversed.

CAMRA Pub Design Awards.
The annual CAMRA pub design awards are open for nominations until the 13th November. The categories include:
New Build
Community Local
Historic England Award for Conservation
Refurbishment
Many inventory pubs have received well deserved recognition through the awards. Last year’s winners included the Coach & Horses, Barnburgh; Castle, Macclesfield; Bleeding Wolf, Scholars Green; and the Boleyn Tavern, East Ham.
Information on applying can be found here: CAMRA Awards. The awards are open to projects that have been completed between 1st July 2021 and 30th June 2022. If you know of any suitable candidates, we urge you to nominate them, or better still contact the owners so that they can apply, as they are more likely to have access to all the relevant information.

Sun Inn, Leintwardine, Herefordshire.
Dan Moorey has published a fine homage to the famous parlour pub for his blog The Coracle with photos by Mick Slaughter: See: The Coracle.

If you have any news on our Heritage Pubs please send updates to: info@pubheritage.camra.org.uk .

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Tom Chapman