29 Market Street, Tamworth, B79 7LR
Albion Road, Marden, TN12 9DT
Riviera Centre, Torquay
11-13 April 2025
23 Haltwhistle Road, South Woodham Ferrers, CM3 5ZA
Unit 11, Valley Point Industrial Estate, Beddington Farm Road, Beddington, CR0 4WP
Argyle Place, Love Road, Lowestoft, NR32 2NZ
Spreyton, EX17 5AL
A CAMRA Heritage Pub for its outstanding interior; Art Deco features date from 1938, a part of an office and flat development with characteristic detailing and metal windows, what many inter-war pubs looked like before modern changes. The John's Mews entrance leads into a small wood-panelled lounge, whilst the corner entrance leads you into a larger bar decorated with artwork, but no longer with original lino flooring.
The back room features a number of original private booths and there are two in the front bar added more recently. Now calls itself under the abbreviated Duke but (of York) features still on the pub sign. In nearby Doughty Street can be found the Charles Dickens Museum, the author's only surviving London home. Current footfall and trade in this area is insufficient to warrant more than 2 cask beers being on.
Historic Interest
Grade II listing:- designed in 1937 by Denis Edmund Harrington and completed by 1938. Minor later alterations. The PUBLIC HOUSE has a strong period character and it is very likely that most of its fabric is original. A basic floor plan of the pub interior was published as part of the architects' designs for the building and shows the two main rooms, labelled 'Saloon Bar' (now the restaurant) and 'Public Bar' (now the main bar), with a small 'Private Bar' partitioned off from the public bar in between the two. A door now closed off by the booths in the main bar indicates where this private bar was originally located. The bar counter in the basic plan curves sinously in the main bar, and differs from the current arrangement. It is not unlikely that that the inclusion of a bar counter in the plan was intended to give an indication of the room's function, however, rather than being a detailed design. Indeed, the fabric evidence in the public house suggests a different arrangement was created when the pub was fitted out, perhaps under the direction of the first landlord. The jazzy pink, white and black-patterned lino is in a design and condition that suggests it is original to the building. The lino follows the profile of the current bar counter in both rooms, suggesting it too is original. The joinery of the bar counter and bar front in both parts of the pub is also consistent with a 1930s date. Booths and panelling in the saloon bar are likely to be original too: they are in a design of the period (stained timber with darker raised bands) and form a coherent ensemble that appears purpose-fitted in this room. One partition has a fluted glass transom, another convincing period detail. The saloon bar also has an original fireplace, shown on the architects' plan, with a brick surround and timber mantelpiece. The booths in the public bar are known to be late-C20 sympathetic additions, but the panelling here matches that in the saloon bar and so may be original. The fabric evidence of the interior strongly suggests the current fixtures and fittings are original to the building.
Two star - A pub interior of very special national historic interest
Listed status: II
The pub is part of Mytre House, a development of 1937–8 by architect D. E. Harrington. There had been a pub on the site previously, hence its incorporation into the new development. The most important space is the lounge at the back which retains three original seating booths with timber and reeded glass dividers between them, the idea of which might have been borrowed from the Cittie of Yorke, a shortish distance away on High Holborn (XXX). Similar but rather more utilitarian booths were installed in the public bar probably in the 1960s or 1970s and blocked the doorway to what had been an off-sales. The Ind Coope frosted and lettered glass no doubt date from the same time. The counters are original although the upper shelving of the bar-backs seems later. The loos still have their original 1930s tiling.
An Art Deco treasure dating from 1938. This corner pub, now with a major focus on good food, is part of an offices and flat development and, like the rest of the block, has characteristic 1930s detailing and metal windows. The architect was D. E. Harrington ARIBA.
The pub isn’t big but has two unequally sized rooms. Decoration is pared down to a minimum and the fittings are sleek and undemonstrative. The counters have plain vertical surfaces and the bar-backs are simple and functional.
In the smaller rear room is an original brick fire surround and several Art Deco mirrors. The most prominent feature is a series of small, open drinking booths with timber and reeded glass partitions between them. The similar seating in the larger bar, however, looks like a later addition, perhaps from the 1960s or 1970s when the Ind Coope window glass must have gone in. Don’t miss the loos which retain their 1930-s tiling.
The Duke of York is primarily aimed at diners although part of the larger bar welcomes drinkers too. The music played here is a suitable match for the surroundings.
Other surviving Art Deco interiors can be found at these Heritage Pubs Three Pigeons, Halifax, Yorkshire, West; Vale Hotel, Arnold, Nottinghamshire; Test Match, West Bridgeford, Nottinghamshire; Portland Arms, Glasgow; Steps Bar, Glasgow; and Frews Bar, Dundee; in the Sporting Memories Lounge.
This Pub serves 2 changing beers (Varies) and 0 regular beers.
Duke, London
Source: National
Garden
Function Room
Games
Newspapers
Smoking
Real Ale
Real Heritage Pub
Cask Marque
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