The Old Vic Public House

The Old Vic public house, located on St Paul’s Road in Landport, Portsmouth, was built in 1899 and designed by AE Cogswell. It was formerly known as The Borough Arms. The building is constructed of glazed brown brick, red brick in stretcher bond, and timber framing with stuccoed panels, with a plain tile roof featuring an ornamental ridge piece.

The exterior is three storeys high and comprises four bays. The ground floor is in brown glazed brick and features recessed five-panelled doors on the far left, centre-right, and far right. The centre and right doors have glazed upper panels and mullioned overlights with segmental heads, the lower half of the overlight to the centre door being blinded. The fixed casements flanking the doors have mullions, transoms, segmental heads, and moulded brown glazed faience sills and a recessed mosaic patterned apron.

The central two bays of the first floor have a jettied timber-framed construction with stuccoed panels supported by thirteen heavy shaped brackets. The upper floors feature mullion and transomed casement windows with leaded glass and three-pane casements over the transoms, along with oriel windows supported by brackets. The third floor also has a jettied timber-framed design with stuccoed panels, shaped brackets, a moulded bressumer, ornate strapwork, and facing half-hipped gables with shaped bargeboards and spike finials.

The interior retains the original etched glass door entrance screens and bar fitting.