Atlas

The Atlas was built in Victorian times, but the interior is the result of a 1930s refit by Truman's Brewery and showcases the sort of interior decor for which they are so well known.

There were originally two distinct rooms, the evidence of which is still apparent today with the public bar (named on the door) at the front. The room separation is most obvious in the remains of a screen, the glazed top of which survives. Then you will see that the bar counter is treated differently – at the front it is match-boarded and at the back (the plusher end) it has horizontal Art Deco panelling with a rounded corner. The mirrored bar-backs, however, are the same as they now effectively stretch along the back of the servery. There is also a black-and-white tiled spittoon trough.

Also from the 1930s is the fixed seating throughout the pub, and three brick fire surrounds each with a small terracotta relief – a galleon, a hunting scene and a frisky stag. There is good quality vertical fielded wall panelling in the rear area with advertisements for Truman’s wares at the top of it, and a promotional mirror over the fireplace at the back left. The counter fronts have doors, a feature of many a London pub in times past, to allow servicing of the beer engines.