Description

WORCESTER

SO8455SE THE BUTTS
620-1/12/596 (North side)
17/12/91 No.6
The Paul Pry Public House
and attached rear wall

II

Public house and attached rear wall. Dated 1901. Architect
Frederick Hughes for R Allen and Sons, Brewers. Red brick in
Flemish bond with limestone ashlar bands and architraves,
hipped plain tile roof with decorative, pierced ridge tiles;
off-centre right ridge stack with moulded band, cornice and
pots, similar stack to rear at right and brick stack with
oversailing course and pots to rear range.
PLAN: occupies an irregular corner site and is wedge-shaped on
plan with right end canted towards street; central lobby with
lounge to left, smaller bar to right and stair hall and
services at rear; rearrange at left with wall adjoining. Art
Nouveau detailing.
EXTERIOR: 2 storeys, 3 first-floor windows. The narrow central
bay breaks forward with small gable. Ashlar details:
ovolo-moulded architrave to entrance with stepped keystone,
pilasters, cornice and segmental pediment; continuous sill
band, ovolo-moulded except plain chamfer to sills, surmounted
by further similar pilasters to left and to windows, with
flower to 'frieze'; continuous frieze raised over pilasters,
cornice has ovolo-, triple step-, and ovolo-moulding. Large
stone 4-light segmental oriels to first floor (outer bays)
with enriched foliate soffits on acanthus console brackets
with cartouches, torus-moulded mullions and transoms and in
ovolo-moulded surrounds. Continuous band at sill level.
Central window has plain apron and similarly moulded mullions
and transoms. The main entablature cornice breaks forward and
is plain over the oriels and central window, otherwise frieze
is enriched with foliate and inverted shell motifs;
ovolo-moulded cornice. Ground floor: to either side of
entrance a pair of mullion and transom windows with panelled
timber mullions and dentil transoms, 'fanlight' described to
upper rectangular lights. Central entrance: panelled door with
central circular motif, fanlight. First floor has 6/1 sashes
(with transom), gable over central window. Right return canted
to face street: the entablature and strings continue; full
height basket-shaped bay has similar pilastered surround and
similar 3-light window with timber mullions and transoms to
ground floor and 1:2:1 windows to first floor with 6/1 sashes;
gable over. Windows to bar at right have etched glass denoting
'BAR'. Rear to Infirmary Walk: main range of 2 storeys, 2
first-floor windows and single-storey range at right (west).
Ashlar details as front facade. Similar 2-light
mullion-and-transom windows and similar entrance with
segmental pediment. First floor has two 2-light
mullion-and-transom windows with 6/1 sashes. Continuous
decorated frieze, plain over windows.
INTERIOR: original interior largely intact. Entrance hall and
lobby have glazed decorative tiles in panels with dado, lower
panels with foliage in relief and with frieze; upper panels
with floral motif. Double doors with etched glass lead to
lobby with further tiling. 5-panel doors, one with decorative
fanlight. Floors of marble intarsia to hall and bar. Lincrusta
moulded ceilings have 'strapwork' motif. Lounge bar (to left)
retains lincrusta frieze and embossed ceiling; benches around
walls; timber chimneypiece incorporating mirror, with
cast-iron grate and decorative tile surround with masks. Bar:
door with etched glass; benches incorporated into panelled
dado; fireplace; quadrant main bar with panelled front with
consoles and mahogany counter, elaborate bar back has
balusters to round-arch mirrors with centrepiece pedimented
upshot with clock, balustrade with surmounting urns. Staircase
to rear wall has rod on vase balusters. Decorative cornices
and friezes said to remain to first floor.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: wall to rear has brick pilasters on
plinth, ashlar cornice, parapet with cornice, ramped down over
entrance; off-centre left entrance a renewed plank door under
cambered arch.
A very good example of a purpose-built late Victorian public
house, retaining many original features.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26669595

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  ENGLAND GUIDE TO POST WAR LISTED: A Guide to Post-war Listed Buildings
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)