White Lion, Barthomley

A splendid half-timbered building dating from 1614 with three rooms and a section of wattle-and-daub on show. The original pub room is the small beamed tap room accessed via the right hand latch door, which has a figure '1' on it - a requirement of the licensing magistrates. This unspoilt room with a solid red-brown floor has fixed bare benches on the front wall side; an assortment of tables including a couple of scrubbed ones; and some chunky 'publican's rustic' stools. Situated near the settle is an oval-shaped table created from a piece of oak with a brass edging which has been here for years. A similar table in the corner of the room is a copy made by a customer a few years ago.

The room has half-height old panelling and a fitted settle which is old as is indicated by the well worn seat. However, the high back of the settle is unusual - most similar settles have panels but this one features old fielded panels - which look like they are re-used wall panels but the date of the change is unknown. There is a 1930s-style brick fireplace with a coal fire but this may date from 1953 when there were changes in the left hand room.

Note the glass covered section of wattle-and-daub on the left hand wall and a mummified rat which came from the loft and discovered by builder when the pub was re-thatched in 1999. It has no bar counter - originally beer was served from a hatch situated in the doorway of what is now the third public room situated at the rear. There was actually a servery in the area where there is now a kitchen - the wall that separates the kitchen from the present third room is a recent addition. It is believed that the servery consisted of a bar back fitting where the ovens are now situated and also a counter/cabinet just about where the wall is situated. However, the third room was only ever a private room and not used by customers until 1994. Note the figure '5' on the door to the cellar. A passage on the rear right leads to a door and across the cobbled yard is the outside gents.

The beamed room on the left on a lower level and with a figure '2' on the door was for 200 years the twice-yearly Court Leet and Court Baron for the Manors of Crewe Green, Barthomley and Leighton; and has been used as a school room in the past. It only became a pub room in 1953 which is the date of the bar counter and bar back fitting. There are two upright columns featured in the bar counter which originally went right up to the ceiling beams until the 1990s when a former licensee cut the top sections off and added the copper caps. It has an old red tiled floor and some new tiles; old half-height panelling; and a brick fireplace which looks 1930s in style but was probably added in 1953.

The tiny room at the rear of the pub was converted from private quarters in 1994 and has a flag-like tiled floor, a tiled fireplace with stove and is served from a doorway/hatch to the side of the bar. Upstairs there is a small function/meeting room where the ceiling was removed in the 1990s so it is now open the the rafters and it has a small Victorian cast-iron fireplace.

The pub closed on 1st April 2013 following the thatched roof catching fire. Following repairs it was reopened on 23rd July 2013. The roof has been re-thatched and the three rooms downstairs have been cleaned [and re-painted where appropriate] to remove the effects of smoke damage. Exterior brickwork on chimney etc has been re-pointed.