The Volunteer Canteen

The Volunteer Canteen, Crosby

A public house occupying a terraced building on East Street. Originally constructed as a house in the 1820s, it was converted to a public house around 1871 by Richard Waddington, a beer seller, initially known as the Canteen Vaults. The building takes its present name, The Volunteer Canteen, from its use as a drill hall during the Boer War by volunteers from the neighbouring former chapel. The building is rendered brick painted cream with stone dressings painted green, has a slate roof with end stacks, and comprises two storeys plus an attic.

The ground floor was substantially remodelled in 1924 by Higsons Brewery, which undertook a major refurbishment. The front elevation facing East Street is three bays wide. The ground floor, which projects slightly, was entirely reworked at this date. The central doorway to the snug lounge is flanked by a tall painted green surround with red oval plaque bearing the relief lettering 'D H LTD', above which is mounted two black and gold lanterns. The door itself has a single lower panel and 12-pane etched glazing to the upper part with an overlight. On either side are wide 6-light windows with etched and frosted lower lights, all bordered in etched glass. The left window contains 'HIGSON'S' in the centre light within a frosted scroll, with shields bearing three boars' heads and 'TRADE MARK EXCELLENCE' in the outer lights. The right window displays large scroll motifs with 'HIGSON'S' and 'ALES' lettering and incorporates a slender public bar entrance door to its right side, matching the style of the centre door. Panelling below each window features central circular panels flanked by rectangular panels with curved inside edges, all painted green. A floating cornice runs above the windows and door. The first floor and outer edges of the ground floor are in roughcast render. A large painted red nameplate dominates the first floor centre above the main entrance, bearing gold lettered 'THE VOLUNTEER CANTEEN' with Higsons' crest (a green shield with three gold boars' heads) above, flanked by the date 1924 in relief. A console-supported sill sits below and a cornice with raised head painted green sits above. The outside bays to the first floor are fenestrated with 6-over-6 sash windows in painted moulded classical-style surrounds. A hanging pictorial sign is mounted to the far left of the first floor.

The right elevation is a gable end that was previously attached to a now demolished chapel of around 1840, which later served as a concert hall, cinema, and garage. A window was later inserted into the gable apex.

The rear elevation shows a mixture of render and exposed brick, with a single-storey range projecting to the left side and a small later single-storey flat-roofed extension to the right, probably added in 1924, containing ladies' toilets. An altered detached outbuilding and garage to the south-east corner is not of special interest.

The interior retains an exceptionally complete 1924 scheme. A small entrance vestibule off the main central entrance features a coloured patterned tesserae floor and a partly glazed panelled inner door with diamond-patterned glazing bars to its overlight. The corridor behind has wall panelling and plain moulded cornicing. To the right of the corridor sits a servery, screened by a partly glazed panelled screen with an arched head and leaded glazing incorporating small diamond-shaped stained glass motifs. A staff doorway occupies the centre of the screen, flanked by serving hatches with scrolled supports. The corridor opens into the snug lounge via a contemporary wide arch. The lounge has plain moulded cornicing and fixed bench seating with carved rose motifs to the ends. A mirrored panel with geometric patterning to the south-west rear wall features a central diamond shape matching that of the inner door to the vestibule. A timber fire surround to the south-east wall has a mirrored back with later inserted tiling and gas fire; later bookshelves have been added above seating to the left of the fireplace.

The panelled corridor continues to a small rear lobby with panelled doors incorporating etched and frosted glass panels to their upper parts and integral overlights. The left door reads 'LADIES' and the right door reads 'GENTS'. A panelled door with etched glass border to its glazed upper panel, set within a screen with plain side lights and multipaned overlights, provides access to the stair (1924) with stick balusters of alternating width leading to first floor accommodation, and to a rear right single-storey range containing two plain rooms. A doorway to the north-east side of the lobby provides secondary access to the public bar. The public bar has plain moulded cornicing and fixed bench seating. A large curved panelled bar counter forms the bar back, which itself forms the rear of the servery screen. A later top has been added above the original counter, and a later pot shelf with brass supports has been installed. Later trophy cabinets occupy the north-west wall above bench seating. The first floor has 4-panel doors, architraves, and chimneybreasts, though fireplaces have been removed. A narrow winder stair to the front of the building accesses two plain attic rooms.