Royal Oak Public House

The Royal Oak Public House dates to 1904 and was designed by Mr Newton of Hartley, Hacking & Co. It is situated on a corner plot with a trapeziform plan. The building is constructed of red brick with buff terracotta dressings and a slate roof that is hipped to the right. It is built over two storeys with cellars, and features five windows and a splayed corner with a rising chimney. The architectural style is Edwardian baroque. A terracotta modillioned cornice sits above a brick parapet. The third bay contains a main entrance with a terracotta architrave and a segmental pediment. The sash windows have terracotta architraves; the two ground floor windows to the left have elliptical arched heads. The splayed corner features a broad decorated terracotta band between floors, and at first floor there is a plaque displaying the words 'Royal Oak Hotel' and the date 1904. A long return side has six windows in a similar style, with an entrance to the outdoor department in the second bay and another entrance in the third bay, featuring a round-headed doorway. A wide end bay has tripartite windows at first floor, set beneath a segmental terracotta pediment. Associated features include an attached wall, gate piers with terracotta finials, and a small stable block in the yard.

The interior features an entrance lobby leading to a vault. A mahogany screen with glazed panels and overlights forms a doorway with cut and etched glass displaying the words ‘Royal Oak Hotel’. The hall has a dado of dark green glazed Art Nouveau tiles depicting a floral motif, which continues up the stairwell. A mahogany stair has a Jacobean design, and there is an elaborate bar with glazed tiles and brilliant-cut glazed hatches and overlights. Room entrances have Jacobean style surrounds and doors with cut and etched glass displaying names such as ‘Bar Parlour’ and ‘News Room’. The rooms generally have fixed upholstered seating, bell pushes, lobby screens, and fireplaces, some with Art Nouveau tiles. The vault has fixed seating with matchboard backs, a carved Ionic pilaster bar front, and a lobby with an internal door featuring cut and etched glass displaying the words ‘Outdoor Department’.