This page is for articles, news and photos of pubs in the Greater London area that are on the national or regional inventories.

If you wish to submit an article and/or a photo for this page, please e-mail them to Jane Jephcote at jephcotej@hotmail.co.uk.

On 21 February 2007 a painting was unveiled at the Royal Oak, Tabard Street, SE1. It shows the interior of the pub and was recently purchased for the pub. The artist is Mick Smee whose main subjects are the interiors of cafes and pubs both at home and abroad. The painting of the Royal Oak is called "Respite at the Royal Oak" and it won third prize in the Singer and Friedlander/Sunday Times Watercolour Competition at the Mall Galleries, London in 2005. Mick was born in Chelmsford, Essex and studied at Colchester School of Art in the early 1960s. On leaving, he joined Birmingham Repertory Theatre as Scenic Artist and Designer and then, from 1967, he joined the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. During his time there he had his first London exhibition in 1968 at B. H. Corner Gallery. Later he joined the design department at Thames TV but continued to paint and exhibit. In 1974 he left Thames TV and became freelance, working on films and commissioned works. It was at this time that he moved to Tolleshunt D'Arcy with his young family. In 1978 Mick returned to his old art school in Colchester as a lecturer in drawing and painting. In 1996 Mick left full-time teaching but continued to teach part-time on the BA Hons Fine Art Degree course. He was invited to show at the Maldon Millennium Exhibition and also designed the stained-glass Millennium Window in St. Nicholas's Church, Tolleshunt D'Arcy. Since July 2004 Mick has been painting full-time and continues to exhibit his paintings in both solo and joint exhibitions. It transpires that several of Mick's other paintings are of pub interiors which are on CAMRA's London Regional Inventory so let us revisit them through Mick's eyes.

First up is the Barley Mow, Dorset Street, Marylebone, W1 which is particularly poignant now as this National Inventory pub is closed. The painting shows the interior of the pub at an usually quiet time of day with one of the famous drinking boxes at one end. The picture also shows the whole of the bar counter and one pane of cut and etched glass. The composition is beautifully lit showing both the sunlight coming through the front doors and windows and the lamps over the servery. The Inventory description of the pub mentions that it is divided into three separate areas and two unique drinking boxes. It also has good panelling.

The picture of the Island Queen, Noel Road, Islington, N1 shown here conveys excellently the sense of height in this pub and makes the servery the centre of attention. Mick has actually painted another picture of the pub as well called "Morning Light in the Island Queen". The Inventory description notes the traces of an inner porch on the left-hand side, the cast-iron columns, the full-height timber and glass screens and the etched and cut glass signed 'R. Morris & Son, 239 Kennington Road. SE'.

Next we have the French House, Dean Street, Soho, W1. This painting, entitled "Back in the French", is shown from the back room of the pub, looking through to the front and showing wonderfully the reflective glass covering the framed memorabilia (photos, newscuttings, etc.) which adorn the pub. It also shows the fine linear front windows which are typical of the work of the architect, Alfred W. Blomfield. The Inventory description also mentions the low wall panelling in the small, single bar. Mick first frequented the pub in the 60s and the painting was produced in 1987, before the bar alterations - and Gaston Berlemont was still the landlord.

In Mick's picture of the Dolphin, Mare Street, Hackney, E8 (currently closed but only temporarily) the focus is on the ceiling, the divisions between the areas and the plain bar counter. The atmosphere is one of calm - a refuge from the busy traffic outside. The Inventory description includes the magnificent wall tiling by W. B. Simpson and Sons, including blue and white tiles with pairs of birds and swirling Arabesque patterns and a tile panel depicting the legend of Arion who was saved from drowning by a dolphin.

Finally we have the famous National Inventory pub, the Princess Louise, High Holborn, WC1. The painting emphasises the liveliness of the pub's highly decorative interior peopled by elegant customers. The interior of this pub now looks very different from the way it looks in this painting. In January 2008 it reopened after a refurbishment which took many months. Sam Smith's, the owners, have done a splendid job, reinstating divisions to make it look very like it must have done it was first built. The Inventory description refers to the fact that the pub was remodelled around 1892 by the architect, Arthur Chitty. The description also mentions the wonderful wall tiles by W. B. Simpson and Sons, the sumptuous etched and gilded mirrors signed by R. Morris and Son of Kennington Road, and the magnificent gents' loos.

I hope that these wonderful paintings will encourage you to visit these special pubs. Mick Smee can be contacted on 01621 860240. He says if you're in Essex, visit the bar parlour at his local, the Queen's Head (a Gray and Son public house), Tolleshunt d'Arcy. All 156 pubs on the London Regional Inventory are featured in the book London Heritage Pubs: An Inside Story. Historic Pub Interiors in the Capital by Geoff Brandwood and Jane Jephcote. Published in July 2008, it is available from the CAMRA shop at www.camra.org.uk or by phone on 01727 867201 - £14.99 or £12.99 for CAMRA members plus £1.50 postage and packing. It is also available in bookshops and on bookselling websites.

Jane Jephcote.

Want to get to know the real historic pub interiors in the capital? Really the only place to start is with a copy of London Heritage Pubs: An Inside Story. Historic Pub Interiors in the Capital. This has just been published and contains 156 entries of the most intact and interesting interiors covering the whole of Greater London. It is available from the CAMRA shop at www.camra.org.uk or by phone on 01727 867201 - £14.99 or £12.99 for CAMRA members plus £1.50 postage and packing. It is also available in bookshops.

One of the things that has come out of the research for this book is the discovery of a series of really good pub interiors from Truman's pubs of the 1930s. Truman, Hanbury & Buxton brewed in Burton on Trent and also had a major London brewery in Brick Lane. Both facilities were known as Black Eagle Brewery and the eagle emblem can still be seen emblazoned on many a pub (or indeed, former pub) in many parts of London. Trumans fell victim to the great brewery consolidations of the 1960s and early 1970s. The Burton operation closed in 1973 and was promptly demolished while the London end was acquired by Grand Metropolitan Hotels in 1971 and was merged with Watney Mann Ltd in 1974. Brewing ceased in 1989.

But back to the '30s. Truman's developed a distinctive house style which made great play of wall panelling with lovely lettering advertising the company's products. They also developed distinctive red-brick fire surrounds with charming reliefs and, in the overmantel, advertising mirrors. They were also partial to spittoon troughs with pretty chequerwork patterns, and ceiling panels made from a hard shiny material called Vitrolite.

Here we take a look at some examples of attractive and distinctive Truman's pubs serving real ale that you may enjoy exploring.

Golden Heart, 110 Commercial Street, Spitalfields, E1

An elegant, three-sided neo-Georgian frontage. The pub was built on a corner site c.1930 and is just a few yards away from Truman's very different Ten Bells. The Golden Heart is a largely intact example of inter-war pub-fitting and has two bars either side of a central servery. A blocked doorway in the centre indicates the larger bar on the right is an amalgamation of two original rooms. This enlarged public bar is rather plainer than the other one but both have extensive panelling, brick fireplaces (note the Truman's eagle over a couple of the public bar fireplaces) and Truman's house-style lettering - the advertising inscription atop the panelling. Note the pleasing dimpled and coloured glass in the windows. None of this is showy but is typical of the careful, restrained face of much pub building between the two world wars. The one real blemish is the modern pot-shelf stuck on top of the public bar counter. A good, relaxed place to soak up the atmosphere of a typical inter-war pub.

Stag's Head, 55 Orsman Road, Hoxton, N1

This is one of many pubs built by Truman's between the wars. Like their Hope & Anchor, W6, it was built to serve a 1930s estate. The ground floor is faced with mottled blue and brown tiles that were then very popular for pub frontages. It is quite small and originally consisted of two narrow bars either side of a servery plus a 'Home Sales' compartment (now disused, of course). The public bar is on the right (on the street corner), the saloon on the left. In the 1950s or 1960s an extension was added on to the saloon (note that they couldn't get the tile match right).

The interior is typical of Truman's house style. Note their characteristic lettering advertising their oatmeal stout, Eagle ale etc on the woodwork, and typical brick fire-surrounds with small relief panels (the leaping stags found here also prance about in other Truman's pubs) and mirrors in the overmantels. They also repeated the chequered spittoon trough arrangements frequently. The social (and price) distinction between the two sides is mirrored in the bar counters - commonplace matchboarding for the public bar and a more elegant streamlined effort in the saloon. Happily the toilets in both halves of the pub have not experienced modern refits and the tilework still appears as it did to those answering the call of nature seventy years ago.

Rose & Crown, 199 Stoke Newington Church Street, Stoke Newington, N16

An ambitious Truman's pub of 1934 that sweeps elegantly round a corner. Before going in, features to note are the external lamps, a pair of fine metal inn signs and the glazed shop-window to display wares from the former off-sales compartment. You can also trace the sequence of original rooms in the metal signs over the doors: right to left - public bar, private bar, outdoor sales, saloon and lounge.

Internally you can still get a good feel for the 1930s layout since the screens dividing the various rooms survive in their upper parts. Also the detailing of the counter is different in the public bar from the private bar, and, unlike the rest of the pub, the lounge has hatch-style service. Also have a look at the light-shades. Extraordinary as it may seem, these appear to be original and different parts of the pub have different shaped ones. The panelled interior is a first-class example of Truman's house style in the 1930s. Characteristics involve the advertising lettering on the panelling naming some of the brewery's offerings, the chequered spittoon trough, light-cream-coloured Vitrolite panels in the ceiling, overmantels with Truman's mirrors inserts, and doors in the bar counter to get at the beer engines. Note also some of the chairs which are not unlike the 1930s survivors at the Fox & Pheasant, SW10. The heavy-handed 'stone' flooring is clearly a product of the time when the pub was opened out.

Atlas, 16 Seagrave Road, West Brompton, SW6

A classic pub to see what Truman's were up to in their pubs in the 1930s. The building itself is Victorian but the fittings are a surprisingly complete array from the interwar refit. At that time there were two distinct rooms, the evidence of which is clearly apparent today with the public bar (named as such on the door) at the front.

The room decoration is expressed in a couple of ways. Most obvious is the remains of a screen where the glazing at the top survives. Then you will see that the bar counter is treated differently - at the front it is matchboarded and at the back (the plusher end) it has horizontal Art Deco panelling with a rounded corner. The bar-backs, however, are similar and there is also a black-and-white tiled spittoon trough (similar to the one at the Hope and Anchor, W6). Also from the 1930s are the fixed seating and three brick fire surrounds each with a small terracotta relief - a galleon, a hunting scene and a frisky stag. In the rear area is wall panelling with advertisements for Truman's wares, and a promotional mirror over one of the fireplaces. You will see that the counter fronts have doors, a feature of many a London pub in times past to allow servicing of the beer engines.

Nearby Brompton Cemetery contains the tombs of several famous people, including that of Emmeline Pankhurst. Many of the tombs and monuments are listed 'buildings' as is the cemetery chapel and the entrance gates.

Duke of Edinburgh, 204 Ferndale Road, Brixton, SW9

A beautifully crafted piece of Truman's 1930s pub architecture. It has three storeys and is faced with attractive thin red bricks which are also used for the window linings and mullions.

Inside you can now perambulate through the whole pub but still get a good sense of the way it was originally arranged. The public bar was at the front and more simply appointed than the more up-market rear areas, e.g. a matchboard counter in contrast to the panelled ones behind - note all the counters have doors for servicing the original beer engines as was usual in Truman's 1930s pubs. The light-coloured oak woodwork is typical of colouration and quality of what they put into their pubs, as is the distinctive advertising lettering in the bar-backs, the chequerwork spittoon trough in the rear area, the use of mirrors over the fireplaces, and the (now disappeared) sliding screen that would have split the rear parts. The inglenook with Tudor-arched fireplace and adjacent seating is particularly attractive (a pity about the totally inappropriate repro Victorian iron fire-surround in the middle area).

A notable feature is the extensive rear garden approached down a passage and which shows how interwar pub builders had in mind the need to encourage not just hardened drinkers but couples and families who might enjoy sitting out in good weather.

Happy Truman's -spotting!

Geoff Brandwood and Jane Jephcote.

The Three Horseshoes stands at a prominent corner site at the junction of the Uxbridge and South Roads at Southall Broadway, facing its original site on the town smithy across the latter thoroughfare. Today's building, a replacement for the original public house, was begun in 1914 by the notable local architect Thomas Henry Nowell Parr but shortages of both construction workers and materials during the Great War meant that it was not actually completed until c.1922, the significance of which almost led to the pub's demolition a decade or more ago.

Acting on a commission from the Royal Brewery, Brentford, Nowell Parr had moved from his West Midlands roots to work for the Brentford Urban District Council in 1894, setting-up his own architectural practice nearby in 1900. Apart from many local civic buildings around west London, he was also responsible for the design of some Fullers' houses across the same geographical spread with his son, John Nowell Parr, also carrying on his father's inspired practice into the second half of the 20TH century.

The Three Horseshoes is perhaps one of the best examples of the earlier Nowell Parr's work comprising, as it does, a fine exterior with a brown-tiled ground floor and jettied first floor with pleasingly simplified 'Ipswich' bay windows complete with semi-circular fanlights. On the inside, it doesn't exude the barn-like feel of many of its contemporaries possibly because of the numerous part-alcoves - all complete with Nowell Parr's signature Tudor arches - along the bulk of the roadside frontage. Patrons are still served in one of three separate bars - fine brass plates still label the saloon, public and private - each of which retains its own individual character despite or, perhaps, because of sympathetic refurbishments in 1987 and 2000. The off-sales (on South Road) has gone, however, betrayed by the only immediately visible sign of any alteration whatsoever - a blocked doorway - since construction was complete. Internally, whilst the counter has also been altered, the wooden fire surrounds and bar back are both original. Overall, it is a superb early example of 'Brewers' Tudor' with mock half-timbering on the walls, beamed ceilings and the aforementioned arched alcoves in the saloon. Since the demolition of the Crown (a younger 'sister' pub with assembly rooms and a virtually identical exterior elevation - albeit not canted around a corner site - complete with three similar gabled dormers and also once part of the Royal Brewery estate) when the Gunnersbury Roundabout, Chiswick, was being constructed in 1960, the Three Horsehoes became the only one of its kind.

In recent times, the pub has had a somewhat peripatetic relationship with real ale. When the Beer Orders came into effect in 1989, it was one of the first pubs in the area to take advantage of the 'guest beer' ruling, adding Hall & Woodhouse Badger or Tanglefoot to its traditional mainstay of Courage Best. However, a lean all-keg period followed in the late-1990s only for living beer to make a brief resurgence around the Millennium when Cain's Dr. Duncan's Elixir was made available. Currently, however, no real ale is served there now and even the bank of three handpumps has been removed.

Despite this, the West Middlesex CAMRA branch enjoyed success in one of its active campaigns to prevent the pub's demolition when, in 1989, a greedy local council, having already negotiated with a developer such that a deal was nearly completed, proposed wholesale demolition of Southall town centre. This included the Three Horseshoes which was threatened with a compulsory purchase order. Needless to say, it was not difficult to galvanise support to save the pub and bodies such as The Thirties' Society (now the 20TH Century Society), local action groups and English Heritage all rallied to the cause. The last-mentioned even considered the pub important enough to have it spot-listed - it was (and still is!), after all, on Ealing Council's local listing of buildings having architectural and townscape merit - but, as the listing would have seriously compromised the deal with developers being wrought, the council sought to have the building delisted. They won this battle on a technicality, namely that, because the pub had not been completed until after the First World War, far stricter criteria for listing consideration ought to have been applied by English Heritage who had correctly cited the pub as dating from 1914.

Although the galvanising of local and national support undoubtedly helped CAMRA to claim victory in the overall campaign, in the final analysis, it was probably more the property recession of the early 1990s than anything else that saved the pub from needless demolition. That and a change in council administration unwilling to renew their agreement with the developers following elections held in 1990 although council officialdom seemingly did their utmost to sustain the destruction of The Three Horseshoes long after all other town centre redevelopment was lost. The latest affliction to beset the pub, the current West London Tramlink proposals, also no longer prove to be another threat to this fine - and unique - building since that ill-thought out scheme has thankfully been shelved.

Pelham with additional contributions by John Griffin