The Rayners Public House

The Rayners Public House

This public house, formerly known as the Rayners Hotel, was built in 1937 by Truman's Brewery to the design of Eedle & Meyers, an architectural practice specialising in pub design from the 1880s to 1946. The building is constructed of red brick with blue brick headers laid in English bond, with continuous soldier courses above the windows. The plinth and porches are of buff terracotta, and the roof is covered with clay tiles.

The principal building is two storeys high with single-storey projections. The irregular plan is roughly rectangular and comprises a long public bar on the north-east side, mirrored by a large single-storey assembly hall with a square two-storey entrance building on the south-west side. Between the public bar and assembly hall are the lounge on the north-west side and the saloon on the south-east side. The public bar and saloon are jointly served by an L-shaped bar. The upper floors contain former hotel rooms and ancillary accommodation.

The exterior displays neo-Georgian style with stripped classical detailing to the entrances. The north-east elevation features a projecting narrower single-storey block with a parapet inset with openwork hollow tile panels. Canted projecting corner entrance porches in buff terracotta have curved steps. A central terracotta panel with flanking pilasters and an eagle cartouche bears the brewery name 'Trumans'. The north-west elevation has three bays with a central pilastered porch and recessed balcony above featuring an openwork hollow-tile balustrade. Three cross-framed windows flank either side of the entrance, with single tripartite windows above. The assembly hall is joined to the main pub by a recessed single-storey link. The assembly hall has tall windows with square lights; a central window is lowered to form an escape door. The three-bay entrance building on the south-west side has a hipped roof and terracotta surround to the door with a panel above marked 'assembly hall'. The south-east elevation is similar to the north-west, but features casements on the ground floor and a door with plain surround in the right-hand bay. All windows are original, consisting mainly of tripartite timber casements with horizontal glazing bars. Ground-floor windows have both clear panes and leaded panels with green and yellow glass margins. The entrance doors are original and have similar glazing to the windows.

The interior retains its original plan form and most of its neo-Georgian and Art Deco 1930s fittings. The public bar is panelled throughout with bracketed shelves above and features two Art Deco tiled fireplaces with timber surrounds and mirrored overmantels, one bearing the brewery name. A ceramic Art Deco wall clock is present. Snug screens with leaded glazing may be later replacements. The bar has a timber architrave with reeded decoration and a counter with raised panelling and fluted pilasters. The saloon is fully panelled with a bar surround and counter matching those in the public bar, and snug screens at one end which have lost their glass. A timber chimneypiece with mirrored overmantel and tiled slips is fitted here. The lounge is panelled with a bar surround and counter matching the other rooms. A timber chimneypiece with green marble slips is fitted, with a wooden Art Deco wall clock above. The assembly room has timber dado panelling with mirrors above; some retain their original timber surrounds with fluted decoration, while others have later surrounds. A coved ceiling features a Doric frieze, which is also present in the open lobby connecting through to the main building, where scrolled consoles are visible. An arch leads through to an adjoining bar with no visible features of interest. The upper floors were not inspected.

This building is of special interest as a virtually unaltered 1930s public house of high architectural quality, retaining its internal plan form and a wealth of original joinery and fittings.