The George Public House

Reasons for Designation

The George Public House, No.1 D'Arblay Street, built in 1897, is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural quality: the exterior, with its eye-catching 'streaky-bacon' stone banding, decorative corner panels and front dormer and polished granite pub front is a very good example of late-Victorian pub design;
* Survival of historic interior: retains its original mahogany bar counter and bar-back as well as three large painted mirrors, fireplace, oak floor and Anaglypta ceiling;
* Townscape value: occupies a corner site in the principal entertainment district of London on the site of an earlier public house.

Details

1900/0/10471 D'ARBLAY STREET 26-OCT-10 1 The George Public House

II Public house. Built in 1897 on the site of an earlier establishment. Architect unknown

EXTERIOR: Three-storey, plus attic and cellar. Red brick with polished granite pub front and white painted stone dressings and banding in a free Queen Anne style. L-plan slate mansard roof.

The ground floor has a rounded corner to its polished granite plinth with granite pilasters topped by fluted stone consoles rising through the fascia and supporting small aedicules, with a floral motif in their niches, which are connected by a moulded cornice. The (east) elevation to Wardour Street has centrally-placed double doors with a multi-pane transom flanked by narrow consoles supporting a segmental pediment in the fascia. The windows either side of the entrance have upper and lower transoms, the lower being multi-paned with oval glazed panels (that on the left with cut glass lettering) and etched and cut glass lights. The D'Arblay Street (south) elevation has single doors, one either side of the two window bays. The two hanging inn signs and carriage lamp over the corner bay are modern.

Above the pub front the east elevation is of a single bay and the south of two bays. These are expressed with triple sash windows on the first and second storeys of the east elevation and single sashes on the south with slightly canted panels below the second storey windows giving the impression of shallow bay windows. Topping each bay is a dormer window with pediment rising above the parapet, that to the south elevation having a semi-circular balconette with iron railings. The canted corner of the building has decorative stone (or stucco) panels on each upper storey, that to the first storey having a ribbon design containing the legend THE GEORGE above the date 1897, whilst the second storey has a cartouche containing a relief bust of George IV with the Prince of Wales feathers above and letter G in laurel leaves below. Above is an angled, banded, chimney with a segmental pediment to its stone cap.

INTERIOR: The interior consists of a single bar with the bar counter set against the north wall. This is the original curved mahogany counter with panels separated by fluted pilasters. The ornate bar-back is also original, with three bays, each with etched glass and mirrored panels and shelving supported on turned columns. The bar-back rises to three semi-circular mirrors below a cornice which projects over the central bay. To the east of the bar counter is a large painted glass mirror in a wood-framed cut glass surround advertising Meux and Co's celebrated ales with its horseshoe trade mark and painted birds and foliage. On the west wall of the bar are two further large painted mirrors; one for Mitchell and Co's Cruiskeen Lawn Irish whiskey and another for HD Rawlings' mineral water (of Neate Street, Camberwell). The room has the original moulded dado panelling with matchboard panelling above, narrow-boarded oak flooring and Anaglypta (a textured wall covering made of wood pulp and cotton, first produced in 1887) ceiling. In the west wall is a red marble fireplace (without the cast-iron grate) and the cut-glass glazed inner west door with its etched glass side panels are also probably original.

On the first floor some original late-Victorian fireplaces (including a similar marble one to the bar fireplace but with the grate) and panelling to the shallow bay windows survive, as does the stair to the first floor (although this is missing some turned balusters).

HISTORY: Located on the north corner of D'Arblay Street and Wardour Street, there has been a public house on the site since at least 1739. The present building was erected on the same footprint in 1897, probably for the Meux and Co brewery. Meux and Co was founded in 1807 by Sir Henry Meux and operated until purchased by Allied Breweries in 1961. Its Horseshoe Brewery was located at the corner of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road and demolished in 1922.

SOURCES: Victoria County History, A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 2: General (1911), 'Industries: Brewing', URL pp. 168-178: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22171 Date accessed: 03 September 2010; Sheppard, FHW, ed., Survey of London: Volumes 31 & 32: St James, Westminster Pt 2 (1963).

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION The George Public House, No.1 D'Arblay Street, built in 1897, is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * Architectural quality: the exterior, with its eye-catching 'streaky-bacon' stone banding, decorative corner panels and front dormer and polished granite pub front is a very good example of late-Victorian pub design; * Survival of historic interior: retains its original mahogany bar counter and bar-back as well as three large painted mirrors, fireplace, oak floor and Anaglypta ceiling; * Materials and craftsmanship; good quality materials and craftsmanship; * Townscape value: occupies a corner site in the principal entertainment district of London on the site of an earlier public house.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

507881

Legacy System:

LBS

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