CAMRA calls to protect more post-war pubs
As reported by the BBC, the Centurion Public House in Bath, Somerset; the Never Turn Back in Caister-on-Sea, Norfolk; the Crumpled Horn in Swindon, Wiltshire; the Wheatsheaf in Camberley, Surrey; and the Queen Bess Public House in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire; were recently given Grade II-listed status by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport on the advice of Historic England.
Giving a pub Grade II-listing recognition marks it as nationally important to UK history and provides it with extra legal protection within the planning system.
CAMRA is seeking similar protection and recognition of three further post-war pubs – the White Admiral in Harlow, Essex; the Palomino in Newmarket, Suffolk; and the Punch Bowl in Worcester, Worcestershire - which have remained at the heart of their communities for more than half a century.
Paul Ainsworth, chair of CAMRA’s pub heritage group, said: “These new listings are welcome, highlighting some especially interesting examples that have been part of the rebuilding of post-war England.
“However, many other pubs designed in this period have fallen by the wayside simply because their architecture reflects austerity and functionality, rather than grandeur and theatrics.
“This means that some fantastic intact survivals from this period risk being lost forever, along with a whole cultural era that is now seriously under-represented in the national heritage listings.”
CAMRA has been supported by the Twentieth Century Society in calling for wider recognition of post-war pubs.
Tess Pinto, senior conservation adviser at the Twentieth Century Society added: “We are always delighted to see good 'C20 buildings' listed but are concerned that the small number of post-war pubs designated today doesn’t give a full enough picture.
“The news reinforces our ongoing concern about the application of highly selective criteria for the listing of all buildings of the post-1945 period – despite the fact that many within this category are now well over 50 years old.”
