54°35′42″N5°56′02″W / 54.595°N 5.934°W /54.595; -5.934
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TheCrown Liquor Saloon, also known as theCrown Bar, is apub inGreat Victoria Street inBelfast,Northern Ireland. Refurbished in 1885, and at least twice since, it is an outstanding example of a Victoriangin palace, and one of Northern Ireland's best-known pubs. It is owned by the National Trust[1] and is leased toMitchells & Butlers who run it as aNicholson's pub.
Opened by Felix O'Hanlon as The Railway Tavern, the pub was then bought by Michael Flanagan. Flanagan's son Patrick renamed and renovated it in 1885.[citation needed]
The Crown owes its elaborate tiling,stained glass and woodwork to theItalian craftsmen whom Flanagan persuaded to work on the pub after hours. These craftsmen were brought to Ireland to work on the many new churches being built in Belfast at the time.[citation needed] It was this high standard of work that gave the Crown the reputation of being one of the finestVictorian gin palaces of its time.
In 1978, theNational Trust, following persuasion by people includingSir John Betjeman, purchased the property and three years later completed a £400,000 renovation to restore the bar to its original Victorian state. Further restoration by the National Trust was done in 2007 at a cost of £500,000. This work is the subject of aBBC Northern Ireland documentary,The Crown Jewel, screened in 2008.[2]
A recognisable landmark of Belfast, The Crown has featured as a location in numerous film and television productions, such asDavid Caffrey'sDivorcing Jack (1998) andCarol Reed's classic 1947 filmOdd Man Out.[citation needed]
The Crown has been given aGrade A Listed Building status by theEnvironment and Heritage Service.[citation needed]
The exterior is decorated in polychromatictiles. This includes amosaic of aCrown on the floor of the entrance. The interior is also decorated with complex mosaics of tiles. The red granite topped bar is of an altar style, with a heated footrest underneath and is lit bygas lamps on the highly decorativecarved ceilings.[citation needed]
The Crown has ten booths, or snugs. Built to accommodate the pub's more reserved customers during the austere Victorian period, the snugs feature the original gun metal plates for striking matches and an antique bell system for alerting staff.[3][4] Extra privacy was then afforded by the pub's etched and stained glass windows which feature painted shells, fairies, pineapples,fleurs-de-lis and clowns.
