The White Swan Public House

BIRMINGHAM BRADFORD STREET SP 08 NE 7/10007 The White Swan Public House II

Public house. 1899-1900 by James and Lister Lea for Ansells Brewery. Red brick and terracotta (terracotta probably from Hathern Station. Brick and Terracotta Company of Loughborough). Slate roof with coped gables, terracotta dentilled eaves and pierced ridge tiles. Brick axial and gable end stacks.

Plan: Situated on corner site. Public bar with entrance on Bradford Street and corner; passage to smoke-room at back on left and outdoor and passage to stairs on right in Birchall Street. Jacobean or Flemish style.

Exterior: 2 storeys and attic. 4-bay front to Bradford Street. Bays 2 and 4 Dutch gabled; canted corner with canted terracotta oriel over doorway and 3-bay front to right on Birchall Street, the left bay Dutch gabled, the right plainer lower 2-storey range. Terracotta ground floor with panelled plinth, the large bar windows and doorways have cable-moulded arrises, the central doorway on Bradford Street has segmental pediment on consoles in the entablature above. Bar windows have leaded panes and stained glass. Recessed wooden canted bays on first floor with pulvinated friezes and ogee lead canopies and simple- light windows between with cornices. The attic windows have cornices and aprons and are in Dutch gables with flanking finials and pendants and aedicules at apex with semi-circular pediments; pedimented dormer between gables on Bradford Street front.

Interior: Good Minton tiled interior with friezes in public bar, passages, stairs and outdoor. Public bar also has tiled ceiling and panelled front to bar counter and pilastered bar back with arched mirrors and balustrade and clock above. Partition in public bar has been removed; but entrance lobby survives; ceiling lined in Lincrusta paper. Passages have engraved glass in doors and- particularly good wall tiling which also lines stair well; the stairs have moulded balustrade and newels. Smoke-room has tiled frieze and small iron chimney piece and grate.

Source: A Crawford, M Dunn and R Thorne. Birmingham Parks 1880-1939.

Listing NGR: SP0782086203