Beehive

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Greater London North - Tottenham

One star - A pub interior of special national historic interest

Listed Status: II

Stoneleigh Road
Tottenham
N17 9BQ

Tel: (020) 8808 3567

Email: info@beehiven17.com

Website http://beehiven17.com/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thebeehivepub

Real Ale: Yes

Lunchtime Meals: Yes

Evening Meals: Yes

Nearby Station: Tottenham Hale

Station Distance: 900m

Public Transport: Near Railway Station (Tottenham Hale) and Bus Stop

Bus: Yes

View on: Whatpub

This is a good example of a relatively unspoilt ’Brewer's Tudor’ pub, containing an inter-war layout with numerous features from that period

The Beehive was rebuilt in the inter-war period, and dates from 1927. On the left, disused corner doors display ‘Public Bar’ in leaded panels but unfortunately the space within has been scandalously denuded of its fittings. The former Off License next to the public bar is also defunct. However,

the following door proclaims ‘Saloon Lounge’ in stained and leaded glass, and this area happily remains intact.

Through a vestibule is a spacious Baronial style room complete with mock original beams, fielded panelling to picture frame height and some original light fittings. The raked, panelled bar counter on the left is original as is the mirrored bar-back - and unusually many of its lower shelves remain. There is a dumb waiter to the right (accessed from the rear). A large Vernacular style red-brick fire surround adorns the right hand wall in the front and another is placed at the end of the rear part. The sliding screen that used to divide the two parts has been removed but the glazing above remains.

Across a passageway to the right is a door with a leaded glass panel announcing ‘Luncheon Room’. It leads to a room used for darts and functions which has more fielded panelling, a modest skylight and an original brick fireplace now painted white. At one time, each door in the pub seems to have been numbered (required for control purposes by Customs & Excise) but unfortunately only a couple of examples remain. A curiosity is the fact that the ‘wooden' panelling is nothing of the sort – it is imitation wood panelling with an applied textured surface on a plywood base to produce a Tudor effect.

The Beehive is a purpose-rebuilt public house of the inter-war period, dating from 1927. A fine example of an unspoilt “Brewer's Tudor” pub. The designer is not known. The old layout is complete (apart from the removal of a screen) and you can fully appreciate how such a pub was meant to appear. On the left corner doors have ‘Public’ and ‘Bar’ leaded panels in them. The Public bar has fielded panelling to picture frame height (the “wooden panelling” actually being an imitation to help create the Tudor effect). It retains its original L-shaped panelled counter, original mirrored bar back, baffles by the doors, three of the original benches and two cased-in dart boards. Until 2012 behind the servery was a glazed-in office but the glazing has been replaced by wood.

A front door has ‘Off License’ in a leaded panel and the off-sales is still intact with a small bar counter, but no longer in use. Another front door has a ‘Saloon Lounge’ in stained and leaded glass panel and through a vestibule is a spacious Baronial style right-hand room complete with mock original beams, more fielded ‘panelling’ to picture frame height and splendid light fittings. On the bar back in the lounge on the left there is some new wood and new tiles, the rest of the mirrored bar back is the original with a dumb waiter in the middle. There is a large red-brick fire surround on the rear wall i.e. in the ‘saloon lounge’ part and another at the end of the’ luncheon room’ part; The sliding screen that used to divide the Saloon Lounge (front) from the Luncheon Room (rear) has been removed but the glazing above it still remains.

In the passageway is a the door with a leaded panel ‘Self Service Room’, a rare if not unique room name (presumably linked to buffet-style food supply). It leads to a room used for darts and functions with more fielded ‘panelling’, modest skylight and a 1930s brick fireplace. Attractive brass door furniture throughout. Note that in this pub each door seems to have been numbered (up to 20 in the luncheon room) e.g. ‘14’ on Luncheon Room door to ladies toilet – something not seen in any other pub. It was standard practice to number rooms in pubs until the 1960s (as required for control purposes by Licensing Magistrates / Customs & Excise), but individual doors is another matter. A further curiosity is the fact that the ‘wooden’ panelling is nothing of the sort – feel it and tap it and you will find it is an imitation to create a Tudor effect on the sly.

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