Summary
Public house, 1901 by JH Cox. Built from stone with a slate roof and retaining its original interior plan and a number of elements of the original interior decorative scheme.
Reasons for Designation
The New Beehive Inn, Bradford, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* As a rare survival of a late Victorian internal plan of four rooms centred around a drinking lobby;
* For the rare survival of the original 1901 decoration, for example, bar back and wall seating in the Tap Room;
* For the surviving elements of the 1936 redecoration in the Commercial and Pink Rooms.
Historic interest:
* As a rare example of a public house built by a local authority.
History
The New Beehive Inn was designed in April 1900 by the City Surveyor JH Cox and constructed by the Bradford Corporation in 1901 as part of the municipal improvement scheme for Westgate. Initially the Corporation intended to run the pub as a municipal enterprise, but instead leased it to James Anthony Geoheghan. It stayed in the Geohegan family until 1926, when it was taken over by a Mr Smith, who ran the pub until 1957.
The Corporation sold the pub to William Whitaker & Co Ltd in 1920. William Whitaker & Co Ltd ceased brewing in 1928, but continued as bottlers, wine and spirit merchants and public house owners until taken over by Joshua Tetley and Son Ltd in 1959. The New Beehive Inn stayed as a Tetley pub until it was sold to the Trough Brewery in 1982 and renamed The Bradfordian.
The interior of the pub was refurbished by William Whitaker in 1936. Apart from the Tap Room, service was by waiter throughout the pub. A number of bell pushes survive. The first floor rooms were used as function rooms. A subdivision of the Tap Room forming a Ladies’ Room was removed at an unknown date.
The Bradfordian became a free house in the mid 1980s and was redesigned internally by Ray Buck. The redesign included the installation of gas lighting and additional bell pushes in the bars and the conversion of upstairs rooms to accommodation. The pub was acquired by William Wagstaff in 1989, who changed the name of the pub back to The New Beehive Inn and excavated a cellar used as a bar for events and live bands. A new sign was fitted above the door of the pub, stained glass panels installed and a kitchen extension built to the south east.
The New Beehive Inn ceased trading and changed hands in 2022. The windows of the upper storeys were changed to uPVC units in May 2022 and the bar removed from the Tap Room in June 2022.
Details
Public house, 1901 by JH Cox. Built from stone with a slate roof.
PLAN: The ground floor of the New Beehive Inn is that of a double fronted, double pile structure, with two rooms either side of a central lobby. An extension to the south east contains a modern kitchen and the north rear room (the Music Room) has been extended to the south west.
Upper storeys comprise rooms opening from a central corridor. The building cellar has been extended from underneath the tap room south eastwards to form a large function room.
EXTERIOR: The principal elevation of the New Beehive Inn is symmetrical, comprising two wide bays topped by shaped gables either side of a narrow central bay. Each of the two main bays contain recessed bow windows on the ground floor, each with three one-over-one sash windows separated by stone mullions. The storeys are separated by double string courses. The upper string courses contain a datestone inscribed 1901 in a decorated panel, and ‘NEW BEEHIVE INN’ in large gold coloured letters. The double front doors sit under a glass lantern over a semi-circular glazed door sign.
The rear elevation is plain, with two light windows with plain stone lintels and cills. The two gables are plain rather than shaped and there are no string courses. There is a flat roofed, single storey rendered extension containing a toilet block. The two side elevations are plain, with painted signage. The south east extension is of stone, with three fire escape type doors.
INTERIOR: The pub is centred around the drinking lobby, which is wood panelled to lintel height and lit by wall mounted gas mantles. A serving hatch to the tap room bar is in one wall.
To the right of the drinking lobby, the Tap Room (or saloon bar) contains the main bar counter for the pub. The bar counter runs most of the length of the room before curving round to meet the wall and is of oak. It is panelled underneath, with an iron foot rail following the line of the counter. The arcaded display shelves behind the bar are either side of an archway through to the Music Room behind and are of oak. The arcade posts are square sectioned, with the arched heads springing from square sectioned urns. The rear of the display shelves is mirrored. A hatch at the end of the bar allows drinks to be served in the drinking lobby. Leather upholstered bench seating runs around the walls of the room, interrupted by a chimney breast containing a fireplace under a segmental arch. The walls (to door lintel height) and ceiling are covered in Lincrusta and the floor is terrazzo. The room is lit by wall mounted gas mantles. Behind the Tap Room is the Music Room, which has few features of historic interest.
To the left of the drinking lobby, the Commercial Room is wood floored, with leather upholstered seating around the walls. Bell pushes are fitted above the seating. A cast iron fireplace is set into the east wall. The room is lit by gas mantles in drop light fittings. Behind the Commercial Room is the Pink Room. The Pink Room is wood floored, with leather upholstered seating around the walls, separated into booths by wood and glass partitions. Bell pushes are fitted above the seating. A cast iron register grate sits in a marble surround on the east wall. The room is lit by wall mounted gas mantles.
The gents’ toilet is at the end of a glazed rectangular tiled corridor accessed from the Tap Room and Music Room. The toilet is walled with glazed rectangular tiles and contains a glazed porcelain communal urinal separated into individual bays by thick ceramic partitions. The ladies’ toilet is accessed from the hall to the rear of the drinking lobby and has few features of historic interest.
The rear entrance opens into a back hall connected to the drinking lobby, stairwell and the Music Room. The hallway has a combination of terrazzo and wood flooring, and the walls are papered to dado height with similar Lincrusta to that in the Tap Room.
Doors throughout the ground floor are of a similar pattern, comprising nine glazed lights over two wooden panels with brass push plates.
The upper floors contain little of historic interest beyond Lincrusta dados and the Cellar Bar contains little of historic interest.
