CAMRA hails best designed pubs
CAMRA has announced the winners of its prestigious Pub Design Awards, which celebrate those pubs with "vision, imagination and a level of restraint in their design".
Five pubs were singled out as this year's winners by a team of judges including architects, historians and experienced pub campaigners.
The winner in the 'Refurbishment' catergory was The Bell Inn, Rode, Somerset, described by judges as a 'characterful and imaginatively refurbished" pub with "a calming, historic colour scheme of green, cream, orange and brown; and delightfully heavy flock wallpaper."
It narrowly beat the Royal Oak, Wrexham, which was 'highly commended' for 'turning around the fortunes of a building which at one point had fallen on hard times.'
The 'English Heritage Conservation' award went to The Sportsman in Huddersfield, a pub which "had been failing for decades, not served real ale for over 40 years, and was literally falling to pieces". It was bought by new owners in 2009 and, according to the judges, "has now been sensitively cleaned and repaired."
The Sheffield Tap, host of this year's awards, was the winner in the 'Conversion to Pub Use' category. The pub sits on Sheffield rail station and the judges commented: "this is a fine example of a splendidly atmospheric interior that has been rescued from the dead through vision, dedication and love.'
The winner of the Joe Goodwin Award for best street corner local is The Queen's Head in Burnham on Crouch, Essex.
The judges said: "a no-nonsense approach to decoration, with cast iron tables and wooden stools, complement this perfectly. The owners are to be congratulated on creating a hugely welcoming place in which to drink.'
Dr Steven Parissien, an architectural historian, author, and one of the competition judges, said: "The Pub Design Awards judges are delighted to be able to highlight this year's award-winning pubs.
"All serve as excellent models for the future, and show that even in times of recession, depression and cuts, the traditional pub can still serve both as a beacon for its community and a magnificent advertisement for the best of British."
Jamie Hawksworth, owner of the Sheffield Tap, said: "We seem to be having a good run at the moment having been awarded the Publican Food and Drink Cask Ale Pub award and now the CAMRA & English Heritage restoration converstion award so we're really pleased."
