Snob screen

A row of snob screens, at The Lamb, in Bloomsbury

A snob screen is a device found in some British public houses of the Victorian era. Usually installed in sets, they comprise an etched glass pane in a movable wooden frame and were intended to allow middle class drinkers to see working class drinkers in an adjacent bar, but not to be seen by them,^[1] and to be undisturbed by the bar staff.^[2]

Pubs with surviving snob screens include:

• The Bartons Arms, Birmingham^[1]
• Bunch of Grapes, London SW3^[3]
• The Crown and Greyhound, Dulwich Village London (the screens have been re-sited)^[4]
• The Gate, London N22^[5]
• The Lamb, Bloomsbury, London^[2]
• Posada, Wolverhampton^[6]
• Prince Alfred, Maida Vale, London^[1]
• Princess Louise, Holborn, London.^[1]
• Crown, London N1^[7]
• Travellers Friend, Woodford Green, Greater London^[8]
• Nova Scotia, Bristol^[9][10]

References

1. Brandwood, Geoff (2013). Britain's Best Real Heritage Pubs. CAMRA Books. ISBN 978-1-85249-304-2.
2. "Snob Screens". Beer Lens. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
3. "Bunch of Grapes". Historic Pub Interiors. Campaign for Real Ale. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
4. "Crown & Greyhound". Historic Pub Interiors. Campaign for Real Ale. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
5. "The Gate". Historic Pub Interiors. Campaign for Real Ale. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
6. "Posada, Wolverhampton". Historic Pub Interiors. Campaign for Real Ale. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
7. "Crown". Historic Pub Interiors. Campaign for Real Ale. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
8. "Travellers Friend". Historic Pub Interiors. Campaign for Real Ale. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
9. Stapley, Fiona (2015). Good Pub Guide 2016. Random House. ISBN 9781473527492.
10. "Nova Scotia". The Good Pub Guide. Retrieved 21 December 2015.