Albion Public House

Cadw's description

Location

Fronting the street on the corner with Bangor Road.

History

Built in the 1930s in place of an earlier public house of the same name.

Exterior

An Arts-and-Crafts public house of 2 storeys, with a long elevation to Upper Gate Street and faceted N end to Bangor Road. It is brick in the lower storey, whitened pebble-dash in the upper storey on a corbelled tile band, and has a steep slate roof behind coped gables and with overhanging eaves. First-floor windows have lintels painted black. The angle between the 2 main elevations, which is curved in the upper storey on wooden brackets, has an external brick stack, which rises through a projecting imitation timber-framed gable with barge boards and deep verge. A similar external stack, rising through another imitation timber-framed gable, is to the R of centre in the Upper Gate Street elevation. There are entrances from Bangor Road and Upper Gate Street. In the Bangor Road elevation the entrance is placed at the L end, a round-headed doorway with tile arch, and half-glazed panel door. Its mullioned overlight has thin glazing bars incorporating central circle with crossed diagonal bars. To its R is an iron-frame vertical-ellipse shaped window with Art-Nouveau frosted glass. The 1st floor has a wood-framed 3-light mullioned and transomed window with leaded upper lights and central steel-frame casement.

In the Upper Gate Street elevation the main entrance is L of centre. It has a round-headed door with tile arch, a half-glazed panel door and mullioned overlight similar to the Bangor Road entrance. It is flanked on each side by a brick segmental-headed window with dripstone, and frosted glass to a hopper light. Another similar window is to the R of the stack. Set slightly back at the L end is a vertical-ellipse shaped window balancing the similar window in the Bangor Road front. At the R end are 2 further doorways. Of these the 1st has a round head with tile arch, but is boarded up. The 2nd has a round brick arch, double boarded doors incorporating a round glazed panel with X-pattern glazing bars, and strap hinges. In the upper storey are windows similar to Bangor Road elevation, 3-light, 2-light and 3-light L of the stack and two 3-light windows to its R.

Interior

The Bangor Street entrance has a vestibule with glazed tile Art-Nouveau-style dado, and round-headed panel doors with circular glazed panel. From the Lower Gate Street entrance is a corridor retaining some of its original decorative tile dado. The lounge on the R retains panelled wainscot and joisted ceiling. It also retains its original bar with panelled front, and shelves behind that incorporate a round clock by Parnell & Sons of Birmingham.

Reason for designation

Listed for its special architectural interest as a public house on a prominent public house on a corner site, retaining inter-war architectural character and good original detail, and for its contribution to the overall historical townscape.