Rocket, London

Rebuilt 1899 by Shoebridge & Rising for Cannon Brewery of red brick with stone bands. This three-storey main building has a single storey extension at Euston Road, a granite frontage and at the top a carved plaque of the sun rising over the sea and inscribed "Rebuilt 1899". It is mainly opened-up apart from the rear right partitioned area but retains a significant number of original fittings.

Originally separated by a full height screen but only the top section remains is the saloon bar at the rear right (and on a slightly lower level). This area retains its original curved bar counter and a wonderful six bay (and dumb waiter) bar back fitting, the first bay being an access for staff and the others having lovely frosted and decorated mirrors and there is a row of bevelled mirrors reaching to the ceiling. Sadly, most of the lower shelving has been lost to fridges. There is a splendid plasterwork ceiling with parts picked out in deep red, a vestibule entrance on the ceiling above which are two rising sun symbols, and the original Victorian fireplace with carved wooden tigers (?) heads at the top left and right and red glazed brick interior.

The front right area has a fine vestibule entrance reaching to the ceiling with a mosaic floor and retaining some Victorian glazed panels. The bar counter here is another original one, albeit of a different style to the rear one, an original bar back fitting with intact lower shelving and above a semi-circular protruding manager’s office (now housing the glass washer) with frosted and etched panels. The bar counter continues into the front left area where it is a small three-sided one, dado panelling on the left looks modern as is the vestibule entrance.