Swan and Sugarloaf Public House, Croydon

A Heritage statement was prepared to support the planning application and drawings to convert the upper stories of the ‘hotel’ into 5 contemporary flats. The Swan is a locally listed building in the South End Local Area of Special Character. Built in the Revival style it is a good example of the type of respectable design which breweries were increasingly required to produce as magistrates tightened up the issue of licenses towards the end of the 1890s pub boom. It is distinguished by the unchanged appearance of red brick walls in Flemish bond with the upper storeys finished in white painted roughcast and with clay tiled roofs and a pair of tall moulded chimney stacks. With the exception of the recent conversion to Tesco at Ground floor the only real changes were to the reordering of the hotel rooms (1960/70’s). Our heritage advice ensured that the design for the new internal rearrangement, would incorporate elements of the old building that give it character. So, we guided the architects and planning consultants that part of the early floor plan, two staircases, some early examples of historic windows, a chimney breast and a fireplace should be retained.