The Porthole Public House

The Porthole Public House, built in 1897, replaced an earlier public house on the same site. It was designed by W & T R Milburn of Sunderland and is constructed of red brick and terracotta, covered by a tiled roof. The south-west facade, or front, features two gable ends separated by a first-floor balcony. There are two entrances in the right-hand gable, and a third on the left-hand corner where the first floor is jettied. A large, multi-paned arched window sits between the entrances in the right-hand gable, and three large, multi-paned square windows are to the left, all separated by wooden pilasters with scrolled tops. Triangular pediments above the two right-hand doors project into the first-storey level. The right-hand gable incorporates a three-light canted bay window with a leaded canopy, flanked to the left by one narrow sash window and to the right by two. The left-hand gable has four sash windows, with a single ornamental brick arch and decorative panel above each. A central shallow balcony has two sash windows and a wide arch above. String courses run above and below the first-floor windows, and decorative terracotta segmental arches sit above the windows and the balcony. The north-west face has three large, multi-paned windows, similar to the front, with a door at each corner under a jettied first floor. The first floor has two windows either side of a central, protruding chimney stack with decorative brickwork. The rear of this wing projects beyond the rest of the rear face, containing a second chimney stack. Two single-storey outshuts are at the rear, one with two blocked windows, and there are remains of a further building. At the first floor there are three windows with segmental brick arches. A single-storey, flat-roofed modern extension is located to the south-east. The interior’s ground floor has largely lost its original layout, with lowered ceilings and open rooms. A staircase at the right-hand end leads to a corridor behind four principal rooms. The first room retains its original cast iron and tiled fireplace, skirting, and door. The second room also includes a fireplace, door, and skirting, with a narrow door leading to the balcony. The third room is smaller, and the final large room has original windows to two sides and a modern brick fireplace. This room opens into a rear kitchen with modern fittings. A bathroom is also located at the rear. The original designers were theatre designers which reflects in the decorative treatment, especially the first floor balcony which resembles a theatre box.