Friday Photo: The Hare and Hounds

The Hare and Hounds building as it is today is not the original public house that stood on this site in Kings Heath since 1824, but a replacement completed in 1907, with some minor alterations occurring at later dates. Charles Hook Collett bought the existing pub only to have it demolished, having commissioned an attractive Arts and Crafts style design by architect Samuel Owen, of Owen and Ward. The building is grade II listed with a façade of red brick and terracotta dressing, Aberdeen granite and some mock Tudor timber framing – but the star is really the interior, with much of it having remained intact.

Today’s Friday photo is of the original, beautiful glazed Art Nouveau style tiles that adorn the entrance and continue all the way up the staircase. Although the original partitions have been lost, the mahogany bar counter, fixed upholstered seating and curved mahogany screen with coloured leaded glass are all original features too.