Stained Glass Windows - The Crown Liquor Saloon - Belfast
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SMacB
N 54° 35.682 W 005° 56.051
30U E 310444 N 6053649
Carved-mahogany booths, etched-glass, plus gas lamps feature in this 1820's pub, famed for its decor.
Waymark Code: WMV1K5
Location: Ulster, Ireland
Date Posted: 02/08/2017
Views: 3
" Ask enough questions about the ornate interior of the Crown Liquor Saloon, and the barman will hand you a printed sheet explaining the historical splendours.
The most eye-catching marvels are the Victorian wooden booths which, with their carved lions' and griffins' heads, are a mixture of church pew, confessional box and horse stall. They also have stained-glass windows, glittering mirrors, and bells on the wall with which to summon service.
"We only answer the bells at lunchtime," says one of the smartly black-waistcoated staff. "We can tell which booth wants us by looking up there." And he points to a panel in the ceiling, displaying the letters A to J (each snug has its own letter etched in the glass porthole).
Then there's the ceramics, which range from scaly dragon-like pillars to undulating floral work along the bar frontage. As an added refinement, brass plates marked "Matches" are embedded in the walls, the idea being that (in pre-ban days) smokers could strike these to get a light, rather than the wood.
Given how steeped it is in history (the pub is owned by the National Trust), you might expect The Crown to be more a museum than a real-life meeting place, but not so. Pint-nursing locals outnumber camera-toting tourists by some way, and there's a cheery bonhomie that, unlike many a mainland establishment, does not exclude the stranger.
"Pint of best," says a regular, taking his seat.
"Certainly, sir," says the barman, with a wink to all and sundry. "Clean glass or dirty?"
There's more than just Guinness to pour in that glass, too. The local Whitewater Brewery does three lovely real ales: Belfast, Crown and Glory, and Copperhead, all of which are worth trying before you decide which one to stick with (we chose Belfast, at 4.5%). There's also a homely upstairs dining room which serves a lunchtime Irish stew for £4.95 and, in the evenings, a £7.50 grilled ham and eggs with champ (mashed potato and spring onions).
The place is not just National Trust, it's a national treasure."
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