Impressive red brick three-storey former hotel in Free Renaissance style with two turrets built in 1902. There is much to admire here but unfortunately all the bar fittings are modern. There is a grand stone exterior porch with two columns holding up a balustraded balcony with 'Pagefield Hotel' in stone. The passage into the pub has 4 tall tiled panels of elegant ladies and a scallop shaped ceramic above. On the other side of the pub are more tiled walls, tiled panels, lots of etched windows including 'Smoke Room', 'Bar', 'News Room', and 'Club Room'. Lots of good leaded lights including 'MM & Co. Ltd'. There is some original fixed seating and the odd bell-push.
This is the second fabulous pub I have explored in Wigan formally belonging to Magee Marshall of Bolton. Magee Marshall were brewers in Bolton, using waters imported from Burton Upon Trent. They were taken over in the 70's by Greenalls, and by all accounts we do not need to lament it's passing, as locally the mild was referred to as "Cricket's piss", the brewery being located in Cricket St!
The beer's taste will have to be confined to history, but my word could they build a pub! Both the Pagefield and the Seven Stars Hotel were both stunning examples of Art Nouveau pubs, built with the very best materials and proportions.
This particular example boasts the usual glazed tiles (actually in vast quantity, however many are hidden behind layers of paint) fine floors, ornate Lincrusta ceilings and both leaded and acid etched windows. I was most interested in the Seven Stars to see a "News Room" window, and it seems this was a theme with their pubs as the same windows were again present in Pagefield. Up the very fine and well proportioned staircase we found the sad remains of a once beautiful window, which would have depicted the brewery's trade mark, a gent pouring a pint from a jug. The first floor has a club room with fine ceiling, and rooms from it's days as a hotel.
The second floor was as amazing as the rest, with it's crazy shaped ceilings and rooms, all decorated with fine cornice which swept and curved to follow the bizarre configuration of the rooflines. The plasterer must have been a master of his trade to plaster those rooms as I cannot comprehend how difficult it would be. The upper staircase still has traces of Edwardian Lino, and as with the lower floors a fine newel post.
I left with a feeling VERY sad about the whole affair to be honest. This really is a very fine building. It's time empty is incredibly short compared to it's existence, however it has already lost many of it's features. Ceilings are coming down with damp, glass is cracked and broken. To be honest I assume the whole lot will be ripped out as it is due to become flats so I guess no point crying over the damage, but I do think it's a great pity it had survived so well for so long only to end up like this.
I spent most of the drive home imagining what I would do with it if only I could afford to buy it. Job number one would be to splash a gallon of pains stripper on that staircase tile-work, sit back and watch the epic appear as the paint blistered!
Vestibule ceiling
Just look at the shape of that bench seating!
Early lino, probably put down when the building was built.
I just loved the sweep of the cornice!
Again, plaster-work is just amazing...
No to this
I mean there are doors, and there are.....!