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SOMERSET - Bath, Star National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors Part One 23 The Vineyards, Paragon, Bath, BA1 5NA (on A4) Tel: 01225 425072 Draught Beer & Cider: Draught Bass, Abbey Ales Bellringer and guest beers Public Transport: Railway Station: Bath Spa Listed Status: Grade II View this pub on a local map
The Star is a wonderful survival being an unpretentious town pub, which retains its five-room interior and fittings from 1928. First licensed in 1760s, it is set among the splendours of Bath's world famous Georgian architecture being in a late 18th century terrace. In 1928 it was extended by taking half of its neighbour 22 Vineyards. Outside it is a severe, plain building of four storeys, faced with smooth local stone. On the frontage is a late Victorian painted inscription that reads 'ALE. THE STAR INN. HOUSE'. Inside you meet a sequence of four rooms which were initially fitted out probably at the end of the 19th century. Then in 1928 it was refurbished by local architect, W.A. Williams with the work carried out by Gaskill & Chambers, famous for the supply of beer engines (handpumps) to pubs throughout the land.
The main door with a figure 2' on the inside leads to a small lobby. To the left of this is a lounge which has a figure '1' on the door, parquet floor and with a rear alcove. This room has extensive panelling of 1928 including bell pushes and incorporating a wood surround fireplace with a mirror above and original upholstered bench seating. There are plans on the walls showing the creation of the left-hand room in 1928 and minor changes following war damage in 1942. Returning to the hall there are 'Bat Wing' doors leading to the ladies which is up a flight of stairs and next door leads to the modernised gents. The hallway has a leather seated settle and there is more fielded paneling on the walls.
To the right of the lobby is a doorway with a Bostwick iron grill gate permanently folded back leading to a small snug known as Death Mans Row. It has fixed seating along the street wall and a splendid small carved bar counter with no dispensers. High up on the left there is a telephone dating from 1920s which has three positions - 'To Call Exchange', 'Challenge Before Calling' and 'For Code Ringing'. High up on the front wall is the old bell box with three windows 'Lounge', 'Lounge Recess' and an unnamed one. Alongside nestled on a ledge are tins of snuff on sale and the pub offers customers a complimentary pinch of snuff. A timber screen with glazed panels above separates the snug from a small public room behind, which is known as the 'Glass Room'. This has a wonderful drop-down shove halfpenny board, an old stone fireplace, bench seating attached to the wall paneling around three sides and service is from the doorway to the bar.
A further screen with a row of six glazed panels in the top separates the Glass Room from the public bar which has a narrow door with the figure '4' on it. The servery is largely inter-war work with a good carved bar counter that has short screens on the right, and one on the left that forms a small office area. The bar back is, unusually, set at 90 degrees to the counter, and is a splendid wooden affair with leaded windows, bevelled mirror panels, two cigar cupboards and topped off with a clock. Note the doors to the cellar where landlords in the past would have transferred casks from the cellar to the bar area using a lift which rose through these doors. This small room has more fixed seating around three sides with baffles at each end and a splendid stone fireplace with carving above.
On the back wall of the servery are three casks of Draught Bass on individual stillages for which the pub is famous. This is one of only a handful of pubs left in the country where beer is still served in the time-honoured way from the cask into a glass jug and then from the jug into your glass. Other Britain's Real Heritage Pubs still using a jug to serve at least one real ale are the Barley Mow, Kirk Ireton, Derbyshire; Holly Bush, Mackeney, Derbyshire; Anchor, High Offley, Stafford
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