People's Park Tavern, Homerton

Local listing:- Formerly known as the Queen's Hotel this public house was built in 1865 by Thomas Ennor. It has much in common with other public houses in the area. Thomas Ennor also built the Bedford Hotel. The Britannia is a large, detached Victorian pub modelled on an Italian palazzo and commanding one of the main entrances to Victoria Park which had been newly laid out at the time of the buildng's construction. The first and second floors are an exercise in applied Classicism with the main interest at the first storey, the piano nobile. Five square windows separated and flanked by pilasters with Classical capitals and surmounted by a segmented pediment and cornice. The motif is continued in an extension on the east side – probably later - to the east, three additional bays two stories and surmounted by attractive railings to the flat roof. The whole first floor stuccoed with cornices above and below emphasising the interest. Attic floor is brick and recessed from piano nobile but with five good round headed window openings, three glazed and two blind, with architrave and cornices and sculptured floral decoration instead of keystones. Flat roof supported by a strongly projecting cornice with brackets. Less interest at ground floor – five rather dull windows (probably altered) on the main elevation separated by rather inconspicuous pilasters, with more of the same on the eastern extension. All of the pilasters at ground and first floor incorporate sunken panels– a pattern repeated in the frieze beneath the roof cornice – an unusual (but not very conspicuous) feature. The pattern and the interest in maintained in the west face (mostly masked by trees and the south face facing the Park. The south face contains rich decoration in the frieze above ground and first floor windows with ornate railing and fire escape rather successfully integrated into the design. During the late 20th century it was renamed the Falcon and Firkin PH. In 2002 its name was changed to the Victoria Park PH. In 2009 it was refurbished and renamed The Britannia PH.