Coachmakers Arms, Stoke-on-Trent

An early Victorian mid-terrace pub retaining its layout of a central drinking passage with two small rooms each side. There are quarry-tiled floors in the corridor and two rear rooms, but the tenants think there may be original tiled flooring in the two front rooms as well. The splendid drinking passage has a brown Minton tiled dado and a hatch to the side of the servery. The tiny front-left 'snug-bar' has old narrow wooden benches and an original counter, but a modern over-large counter top, which just doesn't fit (literally!); also some of the original bar-back survives - you can see Victorian woodwork - but this has been altered and added to over the years. Rear of the servery on the left is the weakest room, probably converted to pub use around the 1960s: this appears to be an amalgamation with a former private room, some bench seating has been rearranged; the front section has a colourful quarry-tiled floor (of a different design to the rest) and service via a hatch but a new brick fireplace; there may be a Victorian glazed roof above this room, but this has not been investigated.

Over the corridor, the small front lounge has inter-war fixed seating with two baffles, and a Victorian looking fireplace; also panelling above the bench seating, but no bell-pushes; an excellent little room. The small plain room rear-right has a fine Victorian tiled fireplace including two panels of a relief figure; there's no fixed furniture, but the damage to the floor tiles from darts suggests that it's been in pub use for some time; also pot shelves around. Note that the tenants have applied for listing twice recently and failed.

The premises and the whole of the surrounding area are scheduled for redevelopment. The planning process is not yet exhausted but the pub is facing the grave danger of being demolished.

Update August 2016 - plans to redevelop / demolish the pub have now officially been abandoned- the company who wanted to knock the pub down, have downscaled their original plans and the new ones do not affect that row of buildings.