7 Split Crow Road, Portland Arms Public House

This 2-storey public house (originally known as the Shakespeare) is built in orange-red brick with simple stone dressings, by far its most outstanding feature being a remarkable fish-scale copper dome. Decorated with Prince of Wales Feathers relief detail to each scale, it crowns the chamfered north west corner in an exuberant flourish. It is perhaps this, as well as the timing of rebuilding, that leads to speculation that the architect may be Benjamin Simpson. Within the shallow pitched, slated roof there is an unusual (but much altered) shallow dormer with a heavy cornice, and 2 slender brick chimneys. The ground floor wide arched window surrounds finished with stone dressings until recently housed the original timber bar windows – unfortunately they have now been replaced with poor plastic copies. To the 1st floor the stone sills and lintels predominantly encompass 6 over 1 timber sashes, although 2 shallow bow windows, with new lintels, have been fitted into the original openings to the north elevation. A boarded arched stair window in an extension terminates the west elevation. It is unfortunate that the window above the double timber doors has been bricked up, but it is to be hoped that this could be rectified. Overall, the building is an interesting example of a pub building distinguished primarily by this dome (as well as the bow windows to the upper floor) – its own contribution to the whimsical architectural features on the rebuilt public houses in Felling. MATERIALS Red brick, timber, slate, copper ARCHITECT Benjamin Simpson? DATES 1898 (rebuilt) LOCAL LIST