Stag'S Head Public House

Stag's Head Public House

A public house built in 1897, architect unknown. The building is constructed of brick with stone dressings and a slate roof, with a brick chimney to the north.

The structure is two storeys with a cellar. It is rectangular in plan, with the original section forming the front two thirds of the footprint. The main façade, which faces south-west onto Fowler Street, comprises three bays with a central gable. Both floors feature canted bays: the first-floor bay spans almost the width of the building, while the ground-floor bay is decorated with mullions, cornicing and Art-Nouveau style etched glass bearing the pub's name. All windows appear original, comprising a mixture of fixed panes, hoppers and sashes. Two entrances flank the ground-floor canted bay, both with original doors; the right-hand entrance accesses the first floor. Above these are lanterns inscribed 'BAR' to the left and 'LOUNGE BAR' to the right. A golden stag's head projects from the gable, surrounded by black painted decorative stone or plasterwork with the date 1897 inscribed below. The frontage retains original cast iron down pipes and hoppers. The rear elevation is entirely modern in character.

The entrance lobby to the left of the ground floor features floor-to-ceiling tiling with some anaglypta, and the inner door has a stained and leaded panel, though this may be later. The foyer also contains a panel with cut glass, likely of original design. The downstairs public bar contains a wide four-centred arch spanning the servery. Within it sits the original bar back, incorporating a clock and numerous shelves with turned columns, unaltered except for the removal of two shelving sections to accommodate modern tills. The original counter has been extended into the extension whilst maintaining its style with recessed panels and brass hand and foot rails. A large tiled and wood surround fireplace with a stag's head at the top is located on the north wall. The original section of the ground floor is surrounded by a wooden picture rail, cornice and plaster frieze with foliage decoration. Access between this bar and the original stairwell has been blocked by modern fixed seating, though the glass-panelled door survives.

The upstairs lounge bar retains a Victorian bar back incorporating turned columns and leaded glass panels, and a bar counter with recessed panels. These now sit within the extension on a raised platform and the counter appears truncated. A fireplace with substantial wood surround featuring turned columns is on the north wall. Two doorways, one with elaborate surround, are on the southern wall: the latter accesses the stairs to the street and the other leads to stairs in the extension; both have etched glass reading 'LOUNGE'. The original stairwell is surrounded by a screen of round-headed windows with reeded pilasters. This floor also has wooden cornice and picture rail with plaster frieze of mixed foliage and geometrical patterns. The ceiling retains wooden decorative work and anaglypta, with a pierced ceiling rose.

The Stag's Head was constructed in 1897, replacing half the site previously entirely occupied by the adjacent former Co-op building. Between the 1897 and 1915 Ordnance Survey maps at 1:2500 scale, a small extension was added to the southern half of the rear. In 1984, a two-storey extension was added to the rear to provide additional bar space, toilets and bin stores. Access to the upstairs bar changed at this time from the front entrance to a new staircase within the extension, though the original stair remains in place. The first-floor bar fittings were relocated from the space between the old staircase and front windows on the right-hand side to the extension. Following this change, most fixed seating appears to have been replaced, with downstairs window seats blocking the access between the original stair and downstairs bar, and upstairs seating encroaching on the original counter position. In the late 20th century, the entrance foyer was rearranged so that the door to the bar is now to the right rather than straight ahead. An enlargement of the opening to the original rear wall was undertaken in 1992 to improve access to the extension.