Looking at pubs

A checklist

The taproom at the Crooked House Inn, Himley, Staffs about 1930

 E xteriors and interiors of pubs can provide a good many clues about its history and the changing ways it has been used over many generations. It is also worth looking out for buildings which were formerly public houses.

On the outside look for:

• Old brewery signs
• Unusual features, such as tiling
• Etched windows with bar or brewery
• Blocked up doors
•  Positioning of doors either in the centre or at the corners of buildings
• Courtyard - possible coaching connection
• Outbuildings
• Age of pub in comparison with neighbouring properties
• Garden/outdoor drinking area
• Pub sign and holder 

Inside look for:

• Original fittings
• Unusual fittings/furnishings
• Bar fittings, such as unusual beer engines
• Evidence of bars being knocked into one/pub being redesigned/layout altered
•  Other rooms than the bar, such as meeting rooms or even the toilets
•   Photographs/plans on wall

Spotting former pubs:

• Location - in Victorian suburbs they were often built on street corner
•  Unusual layout of door(s) and windows
•  House name
• Location on old map
• Referred to in directories, newspapers and other published sources

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