Crystal Fountain

A 1937 neo-Georgian style pub built by Linford's of Cannock for Mitchells & Butlers. It has a symmetrical front with entrances in each corner and two carved birds of prey on the front (the Eagle was the symbol of Butlers of Wolverhampton who took over the Cannock Brewery in 1925 so was the pub built by them?). After a period of closure it was bought from Enterprise Inns by Black Country Ales who reopened it in May 2012, following sensitive refurbishment of what was already a largely complete interior (it subsequently changed hands in 2019). Most doors in the interior appear original. The front right-hand door leads into a lobby with a red and black quarry tiled floor that continues into the gents' and ladies' toilets (currently out of use).

Left of the lobby in the front-centre of the pub, the public bar (listing description says this was formerly gentlemen-only) and also has a red and black quarry-tiled floor, now mostly under carpet. The splendid bar back has been stripped back to its original look and a previously lost Art-Deco pediment replicated and reinstated; on the right-hand side is a dumb waiter (not presently operational). The horizontally panelled bar counter is original, and has brass skirtings and heating pipes along the base. Also original are the brick fireplace and fixed seating, which is in two bays with curved, reupholstered benches. There is a small piece of dado panelling on the right-hand wall, which matches the counter front. The counter top looks recent, as do those in the other rooms.

Some years ago, an unsightly arch was cut through to the snug to the left of the bar, but the recent restoration saw this replaced with a rectangular opening - but no door. The snug itself has fixed seating and more horizontal dado panelling. The original fireplace has been brought back into usable condition by Black Country Inns. There is a small square hatch with bar counter and panelled counter front.

A sizeable lobby lies behind the front left-hand door; this has more dado panelling and has the same floor tiling as on the right-hand side, also extended into the toilets. At the rear left, with a figure 4 on the door, is a small lounge with a corner counter - the same panelling on the counter front, fixed seating all round the room and a long brick fireplace in an alcove. There is a bell-push in the dado panelling near the door and two others above the seating in the alcove. The unusual tables in this room appear to be contemporary with the building of the pub, and may well be the original ones. The bar-back shelves are a restoration by Black Country Inns, and the canopy over the counter is recent.

A door leads to the rear function room which has three arched floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto the garden (the middle one has patio doors). A large rectangular hatch to the back of the servery may well have been cut through in recent times. There are two benches here, one relocated from the gents-only bar; the other a new section to match. But there is little else of interest in this quite plain room. The original off-sales was situated to the right of the public bar servery and accessed from a door down the right side of the pub and is now in use as a kitchen.