Pub Heritage Crown Inn
Pub Heritage Group have recently carried out a regrading of Real Heritage Pubs - click here for full details
Nottinghamshire - Beeston
Three star - A pub interior of exceptional national historic importance
Listed Status: II
Church StreetBeeston
NG9 1FY
Tel: (0115) 967 8623
Email: crowninn@live.co.uk
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/crowninnbeeston
Real Ale: Yes
Real Cider: Yes
Nearby Station: Beeston
Station Distance: 750m
Public Transport: Near Railway Station (Beeston) and Bus Stop
Bus: Yes
View on: Whatpub
This pub retains a four-room, probably late Victorian layout. The front entrance leads into a quarry-tiled passage with a double door and a sliding hatch in a door to the servery. The tiny public bar (right) has a quarry-tiled floor and late Victorian bar fittings (a panelled counter and a mirrored bar back with a series of drawers). The furniture amounts to an old bench and three small tables. At the far end is a tiny snug beyond a glazed partition wall, an extraordinary small space which was formerly an off-sales (so named on plans of 1953 which show access from the adjacent covered passage – now panelled over). Back in the entrance passage, the small room on the left has old fixed seating on three sides. The Games Room is the last of this suite of old rooms and has vintage dado panelling and fixed seating of different dates. The curved bar counter might have replaced a hatch in inter-war times. Dating the panelling is made difficult but a long-standing customer insists that this area is unchanged since his first visit back in 1937. The pub was greatly extended in 1976. It serves a fine range of ales and ciders.
Early 19th century pub that, when extended in 1976 by Hardys & Hansons, retained untouched the original layout of four rooms, known as The Shambles, and off-sales hatch and a large new lounge was added. This is one of the finest examples of how to expand the drinking space in a pub without wrecking the original characterful part and was achieved due to the pub being Grade II listed with an interior description and the actions of Nottingham Branch of CAMRA.
The main entrance to the pub is from the car park side but you can still use the original door in Middle Street, which leads into a quarry tiled passage. Through a pair of doors, now kept open, is a sliding hatch and intact stable door with a shelf and part glazed upper door. To the right is the public bar, now called the 'Whisky Bar', through another pair of doors in the wood and glass partition wall. This very small room has a red and black quarry tiled floor (in 2009 the lino covering the tiles was removed) and retains bar fittings which the listing description state date from c.1880. The counter has herringbone panelled front and a top of some age with a bow in the middle; the mirrored bar back with a carved wood surround has a lower section containing four small cupboards and shelves painted a dull green colour. The foot-rail rests on cast iron stands, there is an old bench and just three small tables.
To the right is another part glazed partition wall with a door and beyond it is a tiny snug measuring 8 ft x 5 ft called the 'Confessional' (so called because of its size). This area was previously the off-sales, as confirmed on the plan of 1952. The bar has another counter with herringbone panelled front and there is a small old fixed bench. The doorway from the former carriage entrance into the Snug has been closed off, and matchboard panelling applied to the walls - probably in 1976. The screen between the two rooms looks old, but may have had minor alterations such as some new glass; there is a '5' on the Snug side of the door.
To the left of the entrance passage is the small Snug with a door and on three sides the original fixed seating, which has leatherette padding added; but the former fireplace is missing. The passage continues to the last of the original rooms – now called the Games Room. It has a door, wooden floor, old dado panelling and fixed seating of different dates – part could be either pre-war or from 1976 and an early 20th century tiled fireplace with a wood surround that looks more modern. The curved bar counter could be of inter-war date and may have replaced a hatch - it is shown on the plan of 1952. The panelling in the Public bar, Confessional and dado panelling in the Passage is painted making it difficult to date so some could be modern work.
The rear brewhouse and stable (not public) survive with original stable doors, and are now used for storage.
Full Description
The main entrance to the pub is from the car park side but you can still use the original door in Middle Street, which leads into a quarry tiled passage. Through a pair of doors, now kept open, is a sliding hatch and intact stable door with a shelf and part glazed upper door. To the right is the public bar, now called the 'Whisky Bar', through another pair of doors in the wood and glass partition wall. This very small room has a red and black quarry tiled floor (in 2009 the lino covering the tiles was removed) and retains bar fittings which the listing description state date from c.1880. The counter has herringbone panelled front and a top of some age with a bow in the middle; the mirrored bar back with a carved wood surround has a lower section containing four small cupboards and shelves painted a dull green colour. The foot-rail rests on cast iron stands, there is an old bench and just three small tables.
To the right is another part glazed partition wall with a door and beyond it is a tiny snug measuring 8 ft x 5 ft called the 'Confessional' (so called because of its size). This area was previously the off-sales, as confirmed on the plan of 1952. The bar has another counter with herringbone panelled front and there is a small old fixed bench. The doorway from the former carriage entrance into the Snug has been closed off, and matchboard panelling applied to the walls - probably in 1976. The screen between the two rooms looks old, but may have had minor alterations such as some new glass; there is a '5' on the Snug side of the door.
To the left of the entrance passage is the small Snug with a door and on three sides the original fixed seating, which has leatherette padding added; but the former fireplace is missing. The passage continues to the last of the original rooms – now called the Games Room. It has a door, wooden floor, old dado panelling and fixed seating of different dates – part could be either pre-war or from 1976 and an early 20th century tiled fireplace with a wood surround that looks more modern. The curved bar counter could be of inter-war date and may have replaced a hatch - it is shown on the plan of 1952. The panelling in the Public bar, Confessional and dado panelling in the Passage is painted making it difficult to date so some could be modern work.
The rear brewhouse and stable (not public) survive with original stable doors, and are now used for storage.
