Somerville Arms

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Warwickshire - Leamington Spa

One star - A pub interior of special national historic interest

Listed Status: Not listed

4 Campion Terrace
Leamington Spa
CV32 4SX

Tel: (01926) 426746

Email: thesomervillearms@gmail.com

Website http://www.somervillearms.co.uk/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/somerville.arms

Real Ale: Yes

Nearby Station: Leamington Spa

Station Distance: 1250m

Public Transport: Near Railway Station (Leamington Spa) and Bus Stop

Bus: Yes

View on: Whatpub

There is nothing architecturally memorable or historic about this interior, dating from a 1956 refit, but it has a no-nonsense simplicity which is becoming sadly rare. The long public bar, once two rooms, runs along the front of the pub and the fittings are pleasingly basic - lino-tiled floor, tongue-and-groove panelling to dado level, brick fireplaces and fixed seating. A sensitive refurbishment in 2010 saw the bar counter and back replaced but much else spruced up. A central corridor leads to a small back lounge which has a sturdy bar counter and bar back, bench seating and a brick fireplace, all from 1956.
This back-street local was refurbished in 1956 and remained little altered until in 2010 Everards carried out, by their usual standards, a very restrained refurbishment at the insistence of the licensee. A long public bar runs along the front of this back-street local: until the 1950s it would have been two rooms, hence the fireplaces at each end. In the public bar Everards did remove the 1950s bar counter and bar back and replaced them but the fixed seating was just cleaned up and re-polished, the two 1950s brick fireplaces were shot-blasted and now look immaculate and some new tiles were added in the left hand area.

A central corridor leads to the back of the pub where there is a 'smoke room', actually a small lounge. The lounge has retained its 1950s sturdy bar counter and bar back fitting, the 1950s bench seating and baffles; also the 1950s style brick fireplace was just shot-blasted. The toilets have been modernized with the only remaining old fitting a c.1970 Ansells mirror in the gents’. It does therefore mean that although there is nothing architecturally memorable or that historic about the fittings, this interior has a no-nonsense simplicity which is, sadly, becoming increasingly rare.
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