Lovely pubbly: historic East End boozers become listed buildings

Pubs rule: The Royal Oak, Columbia Road. Photograph: Ewan Munro/Historic England

The curved wooden bars and vitrolite ceilings of Hackney’s 1930s pubs will be preserved for years to come, thanks to a new listing scheme by Historic England.

Both the Rose and Crown in Stoke Newington and the Stag’s Head in Hoxton are now Grade II-listed buildings, meaning that owners are obliged to make every effort to preserve the history of each building.

Listing took place in a drive to protect pubs built between the First and Second World Wars, when the pub as we know it today was invented.

It also protects the pubs from developers, as new owners need to seek permission from the council and Historic England if they want to make changes that would affect the history and character of
the buildings.

The Rose and Crown on the corner of Church Street sits opposite Stoke Newington’s Town Hall, and pre-dates it by five years.

Built 1930, its lounge and clubroom were intended to attract a ‘discerning class’ of drinker.

Historic England noted that it is one of only a few pubs in existence to still have a ceiling made from ‘vitrolite’, a material that was supposed to be more hygienic – and to defy the idea that pubs were ‘murky’ establishments.

The Stag’s Head on Orsman Road was built in 1935 and was a popular watering hole for people working in local workplaces like the Player’s Cigarette factory, as well as the wharves and estates near Regent’s Canal.

Now its punters are more likely to come from warehouse raves than warehouse work, but the interwar aspect of the pub like the curved wooden bar and brick fireplace will be stand for years to come.

The Royal Oak on Columbia Road, just outside Hackney, has also been listed.

Veronica Fiorato, designation team leader for the south at Historic England, says: “We surveyed the increasingly threatened and much loved inter-war public house and, along with 17 others across the country, identified two good surviving examples of pubs of the period in Hackney which should be protected.

“Listing acknowledges they are an essential part of our common identity, and are much-loved
local landmarks.”

Nick Perry of the Hackney Society welcomes the listings.

He says: “At a time when Historic England are only listing when a threat emerges, it’s all too easy for a developer to bulldoze – quite literally in some cases – a pub before the authorities have had time to put any protection in place.

“This project by Historic England is a great way of being pro-active and protecting our heritage assets before a threat emerges – then developers, planners and the community alike all know where we stand.”

But Perry warns that these two pubs were not the only ones in the borough that need protecting.

He says: “In the light of the success of reactive – but resource-draining – campaigns to save the Chesham Arms and Prince Edward from greedy developers, it would be a good moment for Hackney Council to mount its own pro-active campaign and confer Asset of Community Value status on the many cherished community pubs in the borough, before the developers start seeing pound signs.”

A Hackney Council spokesperson said: “While it’s not possible – or practical – to issue all pubs in the borough ACV status, Hackney Council encourages local community and voluntary groups to nominate publicly or privately owned buildings as Assets of Community Value, helping to ensure that such buildings remain important focal points for local communities. Hackney Council has already awarded this status to many buildings in the borough, including two local pubs.

“We’ve also been working closely with residents and campaigners to achieve further layers of protection; for example, we were able to grant an Article 4 Direction to the Chesham Arms, which led to a legal victory against unauthorised development and helped to lead to the pub’s eventual reopening.”

Saving Hackney’s favourite pubs from developers? Let’s drink to that.