The Rose and Crown is now a Grade-II listed building. Credit: Marthe Holkestad.
Two historic Hackney pubs have been granted protection to stop future developers from changing their 1930s characteristics.
The Rose and Crown in Stoke Newington and the Stag’s Head in Hoxton are the latest pubs to have been listed as a Grade-II building by Historic England.
This means that the owners and future owners of the pubs will have to preserve the history of the buildings and seek permission if they want to change the building’s ‘inter-war’ characteristics.
The Rose and Crown has been owned by Martin Harley’s family for 30 years, and he was pleased to learn that the historic interior of the pub will be preserved for years to come and said, “this will bring a sense of security to the pub”.
Harley said he was nervous as other pubs had been demolished without warning even though they didn’t have permission from local councils and hoped those examples helped people to realise that pubs should be listed before they were threatened to be teared down.
“I think it triggered something, making people realise that we need to protect our local pubs,” he added.
Harley and his wife own other pubs but say that The Rose and Crown, known locally as ‘The Grand Dame of Stokey’, has an extra special place in his heart as it has been in his family since 1985.
The popular pub is known locally as ‘The Grand Dame of Stokey’. Credit: Marthe Holkestad.
Although preserving a building from the inter-war period can be costly for owners, Harley welcomed the Grade-II listing with open arms and said: “I think pubs are national treasures and we should preserve them. Community life would simply not be the same without them”.
Harley has yet to be told what can and can’t be done to the pub but says there will be no major change as he wants to “keep the best parts of the pub as they are”.
One of the oldest features of the interior of the pub is the Vitrolite ceiling, which was commonly used around the time The Rose and Crown was built to make pubs seem less shabby and dirty, but it’s rare to find in pubs these days.
The rare Vitrolite ceiling will now be protected by the listing. Credit: Marthe Holkestad.
The big window overlooking the streets outside is one of the areas customers are drawn to, as well as two large authentic 1930s fireplaces.
These features were an important part of the Grade-II registration, along with the ceiling, bar-back and light fittings.
According to Harley, customer and local reaction to the listing has been positive, as they now know that their local hub in the community will remain the same in the future.
