October 27, 2022
Bleeding Wolf in Scholar Green has been highly commended in the CAMRA Pub Design Awards’ ‘Refurbishment’ category
A roadside inter-war pub in a small Cheshire settlement has been highly commended in the Refurbishment category of CAMRA’s highly acclaimed Pub Design Awards, organised by the Campaign for Real Ale.
The Bleeding Wolf in Scholar Green, Cheshire is designed in a distinctive vernacular style, with an impressive, thatched roof and much internal wood panelling and attractive tilework. However, the building was looking a little tired and run down when its owners, Robinson’s brewery of Stockport, embarked on a refurbishment costing in excess of £800k.
Working with architects Allison Pike, interior features have been carefully conserved, while subtle alterations have been made to the interior plan to fit it for use in the 21st century. The most impressive new feature is an extension providing an attractive new entrance from the car park to the rear.
The Bleeding Wolf said: “Over the years the building had been badly treated and it was in a very sorry state. When we started working and stripping things out, we didn’t know what we were going to find.Luckily, we uncovered some lovely original features, and reviving and incorporating them into the build was central to the project.
“The overall style of the building is Georgian, so it is quite grand and bringing out the original features has really enhanced this style and grandeur. The building has large, lovely windows and lots of natural light, particularly at the front of the building. At the back of the building, we opened a lot of space for the main dining room and put in pictures windows, to increase the natural light.
“For us, the biggest achievement has probably been in creating the overall ambience of the building. It has such a wonderful atmosphere from the moment you walk in. When you are dealing with a beautiful and historic building, it’s important that you let it speak for itself.”
There was a total of six award winners and one highly commended pub across different categories, ranging from refurbishment to new build in this year’s awards. These include:
Andrew Davison, chair of CAMRA’s judging panel said: “Once again, the awards underline just how varied Britain’s pubs are, and we have had a hard job in selecting the winners from the entries submitted. Amongst the award winners we have new pubs, old pubs, urban pubs, rural pubs, elegant old inns, elaborate Victorian ‘gin palaces’, and inter-war pubs. There was a concern that pub owners would suspend work on their buildings during the pandemic, but quite a few seem to have taken the opportunity of enforced closure to plan and carry out repairs, restoration, and improvements.
“What links them is that their owners and their architects have responded to them as individual buildings, rather than applying a standard formula – the result is a fantastically varied selection of winners. We applaud them all, and trust that these revitalised buildings will be serving their communities for many years to come.”
CAMRA will be celebrating the achievement with a presentation event at one of the other winning pubs – the Boleyn Tavern in East Ham, London – on 26 July, which is open to the press. If you would like to attend, please contact press@camra.org.uk