Royal Vauxhall Tavern

Public house, 1860-2 probably by James Edmeston, remodelled internally in 1896 by R A Lewcock for the publicans Poole and Venner and again in the 1980s.

MATERIALS: stock brick with stucco dressings. Pitched, presumably slate, roofs are hidden behind the parapet and rear extensions.

PLAN: the building comprises pitched roofed wings in three storeys behind a curved street frontage. The pub has a single bar space, originally laid out as three separate bars, each entered from the street. To the right, a separate entrance gives access to the upper floors, which were formerly laid out as accommodation and probably a first floor function room on the street frontage.

EXTERIOR: the street frontage is in six bays, the upper floors articulated by giant order pilasters supporting pediments in the outer bays and in the inner bays a round-arched arcade above the second floor. The outer bays have rusticated pilasters framing a full-height recessed panel, within which is a pedimented first floor window with scrolled brackets, while the upper floor window has a shallow stilted arch with stucco rendered capitals and keystone. The inner bays have round-arched windows, on the first floor with moulded impost bands within each bay, and on the upper floor with a narrow cill band and moulded brackets. Most windows are horned sashes.

On the ground floor three entrances, of which the central doorway is now blocked, are flanked by engaged, fluted, timber columns on square bases, of which four retain their Corinthian capitals. Between the entrances are moulded panels; above all are overlights, of which the least altered are glazed with a central lozenge panel. The entrance to the right (south) to the upper floors has a later C20 architrave. The plinth below the ground floor windows is faced in ox blood coloured tiles with darker flush panels, but has been painted in 2015. The fascia is later C20.

INTERIOR: arranged in an arc and supporting the curved stairwell above are six cast iron cylindrical columns with Composite capitals. The bases are enclosed by C20 cladding. Entrance doors have moulded architraves. Otherwise the bar area is a single space, remodelled and fitted out in the 1980s. This 1980s fit out is of not of special interest.

An impressive closed string stair built against a curved inner wall, with turned newels and moulded balusters, rises from first to second floors. The principal room on the first floor, perhaps formerly a function room, has been subdivided and within it most of the internal joinery has been replaced. Elsewhere upper floors have moulded door and window architraves and doors of four panels. A number of upper floor rooms have round-arched cast iron fireplaces and grates with integral trivets or pot stands.

• Pursuant to s.1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’) it is declared that these aforementioned features are not of special architectural or historic interest.