Camra’s 2013 Pub Design Awards

The Campaign for Real Ale has announced the winners of its 2013 Pub Design Awards, with the first Newbuild award presented since 2006.

The winners include pubs as diverse as a bar made from shipping containers and a railway platform conversion achieving accolades.

Julian Hough, Camra’s national director, said: “The Pub Design Awards celebrate British pubs with truly memorable designs – whether it is a building that has been converted to a pub, a conservation project on a historical structure or a brand new build with cutting edge design aesthetics – Camra congratulate the pub owners, architects, and designers who have contributed to these pubs being named the best in the UK.”

Dr Steven Parissien, one of the competition’s judges and an expert in pub design, was impressed by the range of pub designs that made up this year’s award winners.

He said: “This year’s award winners are an engagingly distinct set of buildings and locations, ranging from a reborn rural village pub, via two delightful station watering holes, to two classic, back-street urban locals. Such diversity is exactly what the pub is all about, defining the life-affirming variety that lies at the heart of this marvellous and peculiarly British concept. And as the icing on the cake, the judges were even able to present a Newbuild award for the first time since 2006.”

Click through the following pages to see Camra’s Pub Design Award winners.

Conversion to Pub Use Award – The York Tap, York

York Tap is a craft beer freehouse that has a a wide selection of 32 Draft Beers, Ciders and Ales to choose from. In a former life the Tap was a model railway museum, situated on a platform at York’s railway station, but after the museum was closed the building was converted into a pub, opening in November 2011.

Owner Jamie Hawksworth told the York Press: “We are a York pub. It’s the door coming in from the city that’s busiest, not the door from the station.
“The award reassures us that we weren’t just blindly committing to something. It’s been nationally acknowledged now that what we’ve done is a good thing.”

Highly Commended: The Parcel Yard, Kings Cross, N1C 4AH

Highly Commended: The William Hawkes, Hull, HU1 1LF

English Heritage Conservation Award – The Albion Ale House, Conwy

The Albion Ale House is no stranger to Camra awards after being named Wales Pub of the Year in 2013. The pub is a 1930s Grade II listed building in Conwy, north Wales, which was recently refurbished, but still maintains an open coal fire, original rooms and has no music, television or fruit machines. The pub is managed by four local brewers – Conwy, Great Orme, Nant and Purple Moose – and showcases their beers as well as guest ales. On its website the pub boasts, “probably the best range of ales in North Wales”. The pub was also awarded the Joe Goodwin Award for Best Street Corner Local.

Newbuild Award – Hall & Woodhouse, Portishead

This is the first Newbuild Award presented by Camra since 2006 and the Hall & Woodhouse opened earlier this year at Portishead marina. It was praised by the judges as “visually striking”, and looking “entirely at home on the quayside”. Situated on the waterfront at the marina the pub is run by the Hall & Woodhouse family brewing, serving its Dorset Badger ales. On it’s website the brewer says: “We’ve combined modern construction methods with traditional materials and techniques; using classic, natural materials such as traditional pub decor and oak floorboards. The result is a quirky and quintessentially British venue with a twist.”

Joe Goodwin Award for Best Street Corner Local – The Cat’s Back and The Albion Ale House

The award was jointly awarded to the aforementioned Albion Ale House and The Cat’s Back in Putney, south west London. The Joe Goodwin Award was named in honour of a former Camra chairman who died at an early age while still in office. The judges praised owners of The Cat’s Back for their “sensitive updating” of this “back-street jewel”. This is the first time that the Joe Goodwin Award, which judges do not give out every year, has been presented jointly to two pubs.

Refurbishment Award – The White Swan, Shawell

Another winner was The White Swan in Shawell, a village pub “saved after years of decay”, which won the Refurbishment Award and was chosen for the “attention to detail” that “takes it well beyond the normal pub makeover”. The aim of the White Swan’s refurbishment was to ” provide the village and surrounding areas with a pub and restaurant that they deserve.” Owner Rory McClean added: “We aim to keep the feel of a genuine local public house, whilst serving high-quality food in the new restaurant. We aim to make the White Swan pub at Shawell an integral part of the village once again.”

Highly Commended: Trent Bridge Inn, Nottingham, NG2 6AA

Highly Commended: Lansdowne, Cardiff, CF5 1PU