From the Daylight Inn in Kent, named for a local resident who campaigned for daylight saving, to a Landlady’s labour of love in Scunthorpe, Historic England’s research has led to the best examples of inter-war pubs being listed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
The pubs, most listed at Grade II and one upgraded to II*, are much loved local landmarks. Their design was shaped by the “improved pub” movement that followed the First World War.
Between 1918 and 1939 breweries across the country rebuilt thousands of pubs. They needed to expand their appeal beyond their usual male clientele and leave behind the image of drunkenness associated with Victorian and Edwardian pubs.
Breweries created bigger, better pubs with restaurants, gardens and community meeting spaces. These would attract more respectable customers and appeal to families and particularly women.
The pubs listed are the best surviving examples of this fascinating time in the history of a building type which is stitched into the fabric of English culture.
Among the new listings is The Berkeley Hotel in Scunthorpe which, unusually, was commissioned, decorated and run by pub landlady, Edith Kennedy.
Further afield in Birmingham is The Black Horse. Dubbed by architect Basil Oliver as “one of the most sumptuous inns in the district, if not England”, we have upgraded its listing to Grade II*.
Also listed is the Royal Oak, on the doorstep of the famous Columbia Road Flower market in Hoxton and called an “early pub” because it serves market traders from 9am on Sundays.
It is also a sought-after filming location. Often the backdrop in BBC TV series ‘Goodnight Sweetheart’, it also played a starring role in British gangster film ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’.
Around 3,000 pubs were built during the inter-war years. They are now a sadly overlooked and threatened building type, with very few surviving today.
One of the pubs earmarked for listing through this project was the Carlton Tavern in Kilburn, recently demolished without warning before it could be protected.
These buildings are important social spaces which have stood at the hearts of communities for decades. Listing offers them protection. It also acknowledges that they are an essential part of our common identity and help to tell our country’s story.
Heritage Minister Tracey Crouch said: “These inter-war pubs are more than a slice of living history, they play an intrinsic role in English culture and our local communities. I’m delighted that these pubs and their fascinating history have been protected for generations to enjoy for years to come.”
Emily Gee, Head of Listing at Historic England said: “This national project, the first of its kind, has surveyed the increasingly threatened and much loved inter-war public house, allowing us to identify, understand and protect the most special examples.
