Cutlers Arms, Rotherham

Rebuilt in 1907 for the Sheffield brewer William Stones, the Cutler’s was designed (by architect James R Wigfull, also of Sheffield) to present an impressive façade to a newly-widened Westgate to provide a broader highway into the town to relieve traffic congestion.

The exterior has a "CUTLERS' ARMS" in raised lettering, red tile panels containing raised lettering "Wm STONES Ltd" and "CUTLERS ARMS" above ground floor windows, and carvings at top including Cannon motif and date of 1907. The parapet has "CANNON ALES" in raised lettering and the south gable elevation is red brick with stone and also has raised lettering of "CUTLERS' ARMS", "Wm STONES Ltd" and "WINES & SPIRITS".

Despite modern opening-up of the right-hand and back areas, the original planning of well-appointed rooms radiating from a central lobby is easy to appreciate and the stained glass with green foliage and yellow flowers in a Art Nouveau style is something quite special – as is the little-altered front bar with its original back-fitting, curved counter, and elegant full-height dividing screen.

Faced with the threat of demolition as part of a major redevelopment, the Cutler’s was statutorily listed in 2004. Periods of decline, then closure, followed before the local Chantry brewery carried out a splendid restoration including a stained glass window and etched glass windows damaged after the pub closed have been replaced to their original specification. The pub re-opened in early 2014.

The shallow entrance lobby has a ‘Cutlers Arms’ mosaic floor and floor to ceiling green Art Nouveau tiles. The original inner doors have the figure ‘2’ above – a requirement of the licensing magistrates - and a stained glass ‘Cutlers Arms’ overlight.

The lobby bar has a terrazzo floor and a tiled dado of green Art Nouveau tiles. It retains the original bar panelled counter and above it a leaded screen which includes a ‘Chantry Brewery’ panel from the careful restoration of 2014. It is highly likely that there were originally sliding sash screens between the counter and the screen above.

On the left a door leads into the snug with a parquet floor following the lifting of the carpet in 2014. This also revealed a ‘Cannon Brewery’ mosaic floor on the front left of the room indicating that there was an entrance and lobby here originally but now there is a window with ‘Wm Stones’ leaded panel so this is either modern or moved from elsewhere? This small room retains the original quarter-circle wooden bar and original bar back fitting of mirrored panels but the tiles below are modern. All around the right hand side of the servery is a screen with coloured leaded panels at the top. The room has an Art Nouveau front window with a ‘Cannon Ales’ central panel in white on red which has been restored to a high standard. The fixed seating is modern and the bucket-style fireplace was added in 2013 having come from a private house.

The front right former ‘smoke room’ has a doorway and the top part of the wall has been removed ‘for supervision’. The lino floor was taken up in 2013 to reveal the original parquet floor, the fireplace is a reproduction Victorian one, and the fixed seating is modern. The exterior window is a colourful Art Nouveaux one with ‘Wines & Spirits’ central panel in white on red.

The terrazzo floor of the lobby bar indicates that the rear left hand ‘concert room’ has been opened-up in modern times and has a parquet floor revealed in 2013 by removing a lino floor. The bar counter looks like another original one but the listed description states it is modern matching in style the original bars and that this room was originally served by a hatch.

A terrazzo passage to right has green tiled walls up to dado rail, and on the right a half-glazed door and side screen with stained glass overlight, leading to upper floors. There is a terrazzo floor in the ladies’ and at the end of the passage the wall has terrazzo and the gents’ terrazzo floor but modern wall tiles.