Mitre, Paddington

Despite much wall and screen removal, there is still much of interest to see here, especially in the fine glasswork, probably from a late Victorian fitting. Built 1859, the Mitre occupies a triangular corner site and has an unusual pair of slightly curved doors at the angle, leading to a little lobby where the pub name appears on the inner door. Before going in, the windows are worth a look for the unusual ironwork in the uprights and Gothic style tracery. Very sadly the glass has been replaced with plain sheets.The most impressive work is on the right-hand side with mosaic flooring at the entrance to a short corridor, which stretches back into two more floor panels. In this area on the left is an excellent display of etched, cut and orange-coloured glass, including door panels advertising the "private bar" and the "ladies only" snug room. This shows how some pubs at the end of the 19th century were starting to provide a secure environment for respectable women who previously would have regarded the pub as completely out of bounds. Other glass advertises a billiard room (which seems to have been upstairs) and a saloon, which has a small skylight. The right hand wall of this corridor is tiled to picture rail height, including wood-framed mirrors.The bar-back in the main room is an attractive piece, with a protruding dumb waiter that is still in use, numerous cut glass panels, and with the finer detail of the woodwork picked out in gold. The canted forward bar counter here includes square frames with vertical wood panels in them, and a wood-framed staff entranceway on the left leads to a small servery in the saloon bar at the back.