Golden Heart Public House

Golden Heart Public House

The Golden Heart is a public house completed in 1936, designed by A E Sewell for Truman, Hanbury, Buxton & Co Ltd, and occupies a prominent corner plot at the junction of Commercial Street and Hanbury Street in a neo-Georgian style.

The building is constructed of red brick laid in Flemish bond with Portland stone dressings and cream faience cladding (now overpainted) to the ground floor. It comprises three storeys plus a cellar, occupying a wedge-shaped corner site with a distinctive canted, three-sided street frontage.

The exterior features a symmetrical canted street frontage formed of a central three-bay Portland stone elevation facing north-west, flanked by two double-bay brick elevations to the north (Hanbury Street) and west (Commercial Street). All three-storey elevations have a projecting stone cornice above which rises a brick parapet screening the steeply pitched double-hipped clay tile roof. The stone-clad parapet of the central elevation is adorned with original tubular neon light signage proclaiming the brewery's name 'TRUMAN'S'. The stone central elevation is framed above the ground floor by ashlar quoins. The first floor features three tall multi-pane sash windows with moulded surrounds topped by pedimented hood moulds. The second floor contains a central panel displaying the pub's name in bold Roman lettering alongside the Truman's distinctive eagle emblem set in a roundel, with shorter sash windows on either side in moulded surrounds. The flanking brick elevations are more restrained, with pairs of multi-pane sash windows set in openings with rubbed brick lintels and stone keys.

The ground floor is clad throughout in faience panels (originally cream-coloured, now painted), with vertical fluted sections marking each entrance. The entrances have single or double glazed doors with flanking windows featuring leaded lower sections and transoms. The outer bay of the Commercial Street elevation has an additional window, while the Hanbury Street elevation has a door accessing the stair to the upper floors. Modern fascia signs are present on the Hanbury Street elevations, though original signage may be retained beneath them, as indicated by surviving original lettering on faience panels on the Commercial Street elevation.

The ground floor interior originally consisted of five rooms: a saloon bar (accessed from Hanbury Street) with a dining room and saloon lounge to its rear; a private bar at the centre; and a public bar (accessed from Commercial Street) with a tap and dining room to its rear. The saloon and private bar are divided by a wall containing a chimneystack, while other rooms were separated by lightweight partitions. Some alterations have been made: the public and private bars have been unified, and the partitions separating the saloon and public bars from their respective dining areas have been removed.

The saloon bar features picture-rail height panelling throughout, inlaid with gilt lettering advertising various Truman's beers of the 1930s including 'Eagle Ale' and 'Eagle Stout'. The original entrance door has a leaded blue and yellow stained-glass upper portion, repeated in the windows flanking the bar entrance. An original oak baffle is positioned to the immediate right of the entrance door, sectioning off a small awkward corner. The original bar counter, apparently repositioned, features fielded panelling and distinctive 1930s service doors. Behind the counter is an original dumb waiter connecting the servery with the first-floor kitchen and scullery. The saloon bar retains all original internal doors: two on the north wall (divided by original fixed benching) leading to private first-floor accommodation and the cellar, and two others leading to men's and ladies' toilets at the rear. The rear portion, formerly the saloon dining room and lounge, is lit by a quality decorative leaded and glazed rooflight and contains a large arched brick fireplace with bands of thin tiles, an inset tile keystone and a semi-circular hearth.

The public bar, together with the former private bar, is entirely separate from the saloon bar and accessed from Commercial Street. The public bar section leads through to the former tap and dining room, which has dado-height panelling throughout, contrasting with the rest of the Commercial Street section which retains picture-rail height panelling with advertising panels inlaid with gilt lettering for various 1930s Truman's beers. The counter here also appears to have been repositioned: the main part seems to have been moved from the private bar section to serve the former tap and dining room (originally served by a small hatch). A canted bar counter, apparently late 20th century, now occupies its place in the private bar area. The pot-shelf, supported on carved columns, is also late 20th century.

The unified public bar area contains three 1930s brick fireplaces, one serving each of the former bar spaces. The smallest served the private bar and is adorned with a carved terracotta Truman's eagle emblem, set beneath an original Truman's embossed mirror integrated into the panelling. In the public bar a wider shallow-arched brick fireplace occupies the south wall, set against a small original toilet compartment. In the former tap and dining room, the third fireplace matches that in the public bar but has a carved brick eagle in a panel set centrally above the opening. Settle-type fixed benching is placed against each wall in this area, and the rear part features a further leaded and stained-glass window facing the yard. The original door to the men's lavatories is in the far wall. The toilets have been modernised throughout.

The first floor originally contained a kitchen and scullery, staff room, sitting room, a bedroom and a box room. The second floor contained four further bedrooms, a box room and bathroom.