New Inn, Gildersome

Dashingly ‘Moderne’ (Art Deco) on the outside, and the only example of this rare building type in our listings for Yorkshire, the New Inn is a design of 1934 by Leeds architect H Lane Fox for present owners, Samuel Smith’s. Having opened-up the pub in the 1960s and 70s, they have in recent years made changes so that it now has a floor plan much closer to the original – which is helpfully displayed on the wall of the lounge. There are some true remains of the Thirties interior in the intact left hand gents’ toilets and most of the doors and surrounds to the entrance area.

The main front entrance leads through a vestibule into a lobby bar area with a parquet floor that looks to be Samuel Smiths work from 1993 rather than an original 1930s one. Other 1993 fittings include the counter front and bar back. On the front left the snug has a widish doorway, the Art Deco shaped wood surround fireplace with a tiled interior and the fixed seating are 1993 replacements. In the rear left lounge the Art Deco shaped wood surround fireplace with a tiled interior; good Art Deco style mirror above also date from 1993; the fixed seating must also date from 1993 as the plan shows there was none in this room.

From a door on the right a passage with the ladies off it leads to the tap room which saw significant change in c.2010 reducing it in size to create a kitchen at the rear right. The reason for doing this was that the kitchen situated in the former Off Sales on the right of the main entrance was too small, and what we see now is virtually back to the original plan of a small tap room and good-sized kitchen at the rear. The new bar counter is very 1930s in style and there is a ‘Moderne’ style bar back fitting and Art Deco mirror (but the original servery was very differently configured - in a corner arrangement). The small cast iron fireplace is another recent Samuel Smiths addition as is the fixed seating.

Off to the left of the lobby bar the gents is the original 1930s one with three large urinals, original mainly white tiles on the walls to picture-frame height and tiled floor. All other toilets have been modernised.