A LANDLORD says he is “thrilled” that his pub has won a prestigious design award.
The Brickmaker’s Alehouse in Bexhill has been awarded the Conversion to Pub Use Award at the Campaign for Real Ale’s (CAMRA) Pub Design Awards.
Held in conjunction with Historic England, the awards celebrate exceptional pubs across the country that have undergone conversion or conservation work, or are newly built.
The pub in Sea Road occupies a building which at various times has been occupied by a shop, a café, an office and, during the 1930s, was showroom for a local brick manufacturer – which inspired the pub’s name.
It has retained some fireplaces built from their products, as well as an attractive mosaic threshold featuring their name.
Martin Payne, co-owner of the Brickmaker's Alehouse, said: “When we set out to create the Brickmaker's, we wanted to be sympathetic to the Victorian building, which is in a conservation area, so we tried to create an interior that feels traditional but still contemporary.
“Above all we wanted a space that felt welcoming to all, especially to people who may not visit pubs that often.
“I think our main driver was to create a pub that we'd want to spend time in. We'd done a lot of practical research leading up to this point.”
The Brickmaker’s will share the award with the Colmore Tap in Birmingham.
The award celebrates instances where an existing building is converted to pub use.
Andrew Davison, chair of CAMRA’s Pub Design Award judging panel, said: “This pub is a wonderful example of a pub conversion.
“The owners, Martin Payne and Robin Hill have conserved the surviving historic features while ensuring that essential new ones, such as the beer cabinet and the servery are of high-quality design.
“The result is an attractive place with a definite ‘pub’ feel, something which not all micropubs manage to achieve.
“The Brickmaker’s Alehouse is a very worthy joint winner of this Pub Design Award.”
Winners will be recognised at a virtual event hosted by the awards’ judges at 7pm on August 26.
There were seven winners across the different categories, ranging from best refurbishment to the prestigious Historic England Conservation award, and one additional pub highly commended in this year’s competition.
To join the event and congratulate the pub owners and designers, you can visit the below link to book a place on Zoom: https://camra-org-uk.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMrdOisrDkpGtRw2-jbGb0zO7N3yUN_Ve-N
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