Minster Inn, York

Designed in 1903 for the Tadcaster Tower brewery by local architect Samuel Needham (a leading influence on early twentieth century pub design in York) this is a small purpose-built Edwardian pub with a layout footprint of rare intactness and good original windows and tiling. Of traditional plan, it has a through hallway with two rooms either side. (CAMRA sought statutory listing in 2009, but without success).

Small front bar has a bare wood floor, 1970s bar counter front and modern bar back fitting, old bare backed fixed seating (re-covered in 2016), a reproduction wood surround and cast iron fireplace replace the previous 1950s brick fireplace in 2016. Look for the bell box with four windows over the wide hatch to the passage.

Superb tiled passage from front door has a red quarry tile laid diagonally with yellow and red tiled border and a line of black tiled near the skirting and a dado a glazed brick walls on both sides in mainly brown and some light blue. It is served by an enlarged service opening (once a modest stable-door hatch) to the side of the servery.

Front left small room has a door (original replaced in 2016 due to fire regulations), bare wood floor, original Edwardian fixed seating (re-covered in 2016), with bell pushes around the room split by a modern wood surround and cast iron fireplace with modern tiles but the mirrored mantelpiece above is old.

Rear left small room has a door (original replaced in 2016 due to fire regulations), new wood floor with some modern tiles in the centre, original fixed seating around the room with bell pushes in the top of the seating and fielded panelling painted grey above the dado, modern tiles and old wood surround fireplace with modern tiles, one baffle by the door.

At the rear right a small room originally in use by the licensees was brought into public use and was served via a hatch to the back of the servery. Used for storage and out of use for a few years, new licensees have converted it to a modern kitchen.

Sadly the original outside gents with a dado of glazed brick as per the tiled passage was swept away in 2016 so a larger patio was created and new toilets added to the right.