Eyre Arms, Hassop

The building was originally a farmstead, built in 1632. By 1753, 'Eyre Arms as a Public House at Hassop. In 1814, the name changed to Newburg Arms Inn and in 1902, it returned to the Eyre Arms (but Historic England say it is 19th century). This attractive creeper covered sandstone building was subject to a good quality refit in the mid 1950s and is virtually unchanged since. Apparently local craftsmen were used to do the work: stonemason for the fireplaces and carpenter for the bar front and wood panelling. Relatives of these craftsmen are still pub regulars. One of the least altered interiors of this date with three rooms and intact toilets.

A plan (found in the Derbyshire Record Office, Matlock) dated 1952 shows a very different interior - the front entrance led into a hall and on the left was the Tap Room (now the public bar), while to the right are steps (up) and a Smoke Room. Ahead was a passage with a servery at the rear and a sitting room on the rear right.

The pub was sold by the Stevensons, owners of Hassop Hall, to Stones Brewery of Sheffield in the early 1950s. In 1953, Stones carried out a significant refurbishment creating the centrally placed servery for all three rooms - to the front left and right and also a snug at the rear where the former servery was situated. The lounge on the right is a combination of the front smoke room and the sitting room (Wigfull Inott & Ridgeway, Chartered Architects, Sheffield 1 for Messrs Wm Stones Ltd - original plan located at the Peak District National Park Authority, Aldern House, Baslow Road, Bakewell, DE45 1AE.)

The front door leads to a small entrance lobby with tiled floor. An oak latched door to the left has Public Bar painted in gold and on the frame above is painted the Roman numeral I. An oak latched door on the right has gold painted lettering Saloon Room over which a metal sign Lounge and on the frame above is the Roman numeral II. The left small Public Bar has a carpet, stone Tudor arch-style fireplace found in pre-war pubs that was added in 1953 and quality high-backed fitted seating on two sides of the room. There is a quarter circle bar with a counter of wooden tongue and groove of high quality including a small linenfold section. The bar back is of a 1950s style with azed wood on the frame and no loss of lower shelving. The walls are of rough stone and painted white and a door at the rear leads to a short passage. There is a Roman numeral I on the back of the door, a door on the left of the passage has the Roman numeral IV and Cellar painted in gold. Another door has Private on it. Alongside is a door with Gentlemen on it. A door on the right of the passage has the gold painted wording Snug and III.

The right hand carpeted Lounge Bar being two rooms prior to 1953 has two different ceilings higher plain one at the front and lower beamed one in rear part. In the front part is a curved bar counter with a small linenfold section and the bar back is 1950s style with azed wood frame. On the front right is a different style of stone fireplace to the public bar one often seen in pre-war pubs, and above it is a massive plaster Coat of Arms with a dull yellow coloured ceramic (?) decorative border. The arms belong to Rowland Eyre, a Royalist officer in the Civil War. The Eyres raised a regiment in Derbyshire and fought at the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644. There is more azed wood above the change in ceiling height. On the front wall side is more of the high backed fitted seating, a long case clock, and the walls are of bare stone. In the rear part are more of the high backed fitted seating on the left and right and low backed bench seating on the rear wall. An oak latched door on the front right hand side leads to the kitchen and one on the rear right leads to the ladies toilet.

An oak latched door leads from the rear left part of the lounge to the snug at the middle rear and has the Roman numeral II painted on it in gold. Formerly the site of the servery (and possibly a shop in the past?) it is a small room with a modest counter, almost a hatch, having a 1950s frontage. There is more of the high-backed fitted seating, one low backed bench and a door leads to the passage situated at the rear left.

The gents toilet has a red tiled floor and inter-war style cream tiled walls to picture-frame height throughout with a row of light green tiles along the bottom and top and retains the 1950s urinal with the only change being a wooden WC door added in 2016. Added in 1953 it replaced the outside gents situated on the front left of the building as detailed in the 1952 plan, which also shows the ladies was also outside on the right. The ladies are situated where the 1952 plan shows was the larder and also has inter-war style cream tiled walls to picture-frame height throughout with a row of light green tiles along the bottom and top. Again, the only changes are the wooden WC doors added in 2016.

The pub sign shows the Eyre family coat of arms. The arms on the wall of the lounge belong to Rowland Eyre, a Royalist officer in the Civil War. The Eyres raised a regiment in Derbyshire and fought at the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644. The centrepiece is a solitary leg. Apparently, at the Battle of Hastings (1066), William the Conqueror was knocked from his horse. He was assisted by a soldier (called Trulove) who loosened the Kings helmet as his nose-plate was crushing his face. William then said "thou hast given me the air that I breathe - henceforth you will be known as Air (Eyr)". Later in the battle, the King discovered that Truelove (Eyr) had to have a leg amputated. William told him that when he was recovered, he would give him some land. The soldier replied, I shall call it Hope, for you have given me hope to live. There are two problems with this story: the Norman soldiers did not wear helmets of this type, and Truelove was an Anglo-Saxon name, not Norman.

Closed all day Monday.