Colpitts Hotel, Durham

Built in the apex of a stone built terrace of houses in c.1836. It retains four rooms and is little altered due to the long serving landlady Irene Spencer (1955 to 1997) and still in the same family. The only change is in the room in the apex which was a snooker room and in c.1955 Mr & Mrs Spencer decided to to block up the original door on the left of the fireplace in the bar and on the right cut a wide opening to make it easier to get into the room, which retains fixed seating. However, that on the left side is only dated from 2003 as previously there was a dart board in this area. The fixed benches are an example of the excellent work Samuel Smiths do that can make modern work appear like it has been there for years! The main entrance leads to a tiny, colourful tiled floor lobby with a hatch for off-sales still with a display of bottles in glass cases all around it, but which has been moved back 2/3 feet into the entrance lobby.

The bare boarded small main bar on the right has a U-shaped 1890s carved wood counter and part mirrored bar-back fitting. The cast iron fireplace replaced an old range fireplace in the mid 1950s. On the main road side there is an unusual cupboard in the panelling which is presently the storage are for domino table tops. It original reason for being there is not known but it is situated close to the drop to the cellar outside and the manager would welcome any explanation.

Left of the lobby is the small smoke room with a fine tall bar-back fitting with narrow shelves and multiple mirrored panels, and another fine panelled and pilastered two-sided bar counter The fixed seating and tiled & cast-iron fire surround is no doubt contemporary with the main bar work. The fourth room is the pool room from which the fixed seating was removed in the mid 1990s. Service to the fourth room would have been via the glazed stable door to the servery with its tiny window (now sealed up). It is situated in the passage that runs from the left bar around the back of the servery to the main bar, and has an open staircase with carved Newel post.