Britain's rich heritage of pubs under thread

JASPER COPPING



MANY OF Britain's most historic pubs, described as "architectural gems", are under threat from the bulldozer or modern "refurbishment".

The properties have been put on a new "at-risk" register drawn up by the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) and English Heritage. The pubs were all built before the Second World War and decorated in styles including Art Nouveau, Art Deco and High Gothic.

More than 250 pubs have been put on the list, with 20 described as "in immediate danger". Some have already closed and fallen into disrepair, while others are awaiting planning permission to be turned into flats or offices or are threatened with refurbishment that will involve ripping out their old decor.

The register has been drawn up in an attempt to protect the pubs' unique interiors. It includes some of the great Victorian and Edwardian "gin palaces" of the big cities with extravagant decorative tiling, glass and mahogany fittings.

Paul Ainsworth, the chairman of Camra's heritage group, said: "These places are under real and immediate threat and once they're gone, they're gone.

"These precious pubs are architectural gems and natural treasures, and while they are there to be enjoyed, they also need protection."

The at-risk register, Pubs in Peril, is part of an inventory of pubs whose decor has not been changed substantially since they were built.

Among those under threat are Crocker's Folly, a late Victorian pub with a marble chimney piece and billiard room in Maida Vale, west London, which has already closed, and the Red Lion in Handsworth, Birmingham. Largely untouched since it opened in 1901, the Red Lion is still open but has been placed on the register because of concern over the building's condition.

The organisation has launched a website to encourage people to visit the at-risk pubs. The group is circulating the information to local planning authorities and working with English Heritage to list as many of the properties as possible.

A spokesman for English Heritage, said: "A lot of architectural effort went into these pubs because the owners wanted to bring people in and keep them there.

"But the survival rate is not high because they get damaged and have work done on them.

Britain has 60,000 pubs, but last month it was reported that 56 were closing down every month, mostly in urban areas.