Cheshire Cheese, London

Built of brick in neo-Georgian style in 1928 by architect T H Nowell Parr for the Style & Winch Brewery with an attractive series of curved windows. The compact building consists of six floors - cellar; lower ground-floor lounge bar; ground floor-bar and gents'; first-floor dining room and ladies'; living accommodation and office on the second floor; and the kitchen and further bedrooms on the third floor - all connected by a dumb waiter. Its public layout over three floors is little altered with quality fittings. It is clear from the original plans that serving food dates back to the pub’s opening.

On the ground floor is the main bar which was originally two small rooms - a public bar on the right and saloon bar on the left. If you look on the counter front you will see there are actually two bar counters slightly off-set showing where the partition that originally separated the rooms was situated. The inner left-hand door still retains a ‘Saloon’ brass plate. The room has fielded panelling to three-quarter height (some to full height) and a panelled bar counter with plain pilasters. There are two bar-backs of three bays each made of carved oak, inset with leaded mirror panels, supported by pilasters with detailed carved decoration, including barley twists. Fridges have replaced the left-hand lower shelving but that on the right remains. There is a Tudor arch-headed doorway between the two sections. The pot-shelf above the bar counter is modern.

On the right near the bar counter is an elaborate fielded panelled cover with door behind which is a cask lift. As the cellar is two storeys below ground casks of beer are not ‘dropped’ but are lowered mechanically – we are not aware of another similar cask lift in a pub.

A staircase leads from the ground floor near the left hand door to the lower ground floor – above you as you descend there is a figure ‘3. Originally the lounge bar, it retains the original counter but it has been shortened on the left side by three to four feet. The bar-back is of a similar design to that in the main bar with six visible bays and a shorter one on the right and runs the width of the room although part on the left-hand side is obscured by a dart board case. The bays have leaded mirror panels and there are three pediments. Lower shelving has been lost by insertion of fridges and new cupboards. The walls have fielded panelling to two-thirds height.

A staircase ahead of the saloon bar front door has a fielded panelled dado and moulded stair-rail. The small dining room on the first floor retains the original timber fireplace surround and all walls are fronted with fielded panelling to two-thirds height. The bar fittings are modern additions.

The gents’ on the ground floor retains two original urinals but the toilet area was increased in size in 1976, as was the ladies' toilet upstairs.