Hereford pub turned back the clock as 'new' name unveiled

The Half Crown Inn in Commercial Road became The Commercial Hotel once more in December that year after 16 years under its new name.

Whitbread Flowers area manager David Hopkins with Mayor of Hereford, Councillor Walter Little, and landlords Nina and Andy Norman (Image: Hereford Times)

The pub's name had originally been changed at the time of decimalisation of British currency to mourn the passing of the half crown coin.

The Mayor of Hereford, Councillor Walter Little was on hand to unveil the new sign at a naming ceremony that month.

The Commercial Hotel in Hereford in the 1980s (Image: Hereford Times)

The pub had recently undergone a full refurbishment under landlords Andy and Nina Norman, who had been at the helm for 16 months.

The bar and lounge were restored to a traditional Victorian appearance, with gas lamps installed to complete the effect, while a blazing open fire welcomed customers as food was put back on the menu at the pub for the first time in many years.

And the 1986 changes were not the only time the pub would take a look to its past for inspiration.

Bob Hurkett with a picture of the Commercial Hotel in the 1950s (Image: Hereford Times)

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In 1996, under then landlord Bob Hurkett, the pub took another step back in time, with further refurbishment works to the exterior restoring it to its 1950s look, with glazed brick columns, and black paintwork.

That year also marked 100 years since the pub was given planning permission by the Roads Committee to extend, adding new toilets, a scullery, and kitchen.

A label on the plans gave a clue as to how the pub might have got its name, the Hereford Times reported at the time, with a front room on the first floor marked 'commercial or sitting room'.

The name Commercial Hotel was also found painted on the side of the building when the rendering was removed, although it had to be recovered.

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