24 Broad Street
City Centre
Nottingham
Nottinghamshire
NG1 3AN
0115 948 1592
The Lord Roberts is one of quite a few Art Deco pubs in Nottingham. It’s in the ‘Moderne’ version of the style with the distinctive flat roof, stylish metal windows and subdued decoration. It was built for Shipstone’s Brewery in 1936-7 by W.B. Starr & Hall who also built other Art Deco pubs in the city, including the Vat & Fiddle in the centre and the Crown in the suburbs.
The pub is named after Field Marshal Lord Roberts VC who fought in a number of colonial wars in the 19th century and became Commander in Chief of the British Army. Incredibly he was still a soldier in his 80s and the portrait on the inn sign shows him in his later years (photo 2). The pub was called the High Cross when it first opened, after one of the streets the pub sits on. Presumably this was considered too dull, and it was decided to rename it after a national hero even though he has no obvious connection to Nottingham.
The pub is run by local brewery Flipside and serves their beers plus guests, and serves meals all day. There is occasional live music.
See also my article on art deco pubs in Nottingham.
ughtsman at the once famous Williams and Williams Reliance Works in Chester. Can you please tell me who made the Lord Roberts windows.
I wasn’t able to find out too much about the Lord Roberts. The architects WB Starr & Hall also built the Crown in Nottingham and the windows there were made by Crittall, so I would guess those at the Lord Roberts are Crittall too.