Lord Southampton

A prominent corner-site community local, this was given a major refit between the wars, as indicated outside by the buff and mottled dark blue faïence facing. Although the dividing walls were progressively cut through between about 1973 and 1986, you can still gain a good sense of how the pub was laid out half a century or more ago. There were three rooms, each with its own external doorway and also an off-sales area entered from Grafton Terrace which remained in use until the late 1970s. There are plenty of inter-war features, including extensive wall panelling, exposed timbers in the ceilings (to create an ‘olde worlde’ effect) and the bar counter and back fitting. The most intact part of the Lord Southampton is the left-hand rear area, which forms an intimate panelled space with its own glazed hatch to the servery. It’s here that the door to the gents’ leads off and into something unusual – a steel bridge spanning a small, enclosed yard below.