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Peterborough’s Hand and Heart pub on Highbury Street has been featured in the latest edition of the East of England Real Heritage Pubs.

Released by CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale), the renowned guide celebrates all of the public houses across the Anglia region that have managed to retain their timeless interiors.

The Hand and Heart – a late Art-Deco pub built by Warwicks – has barely changed since it first opened its doors in 1938.

The Hand and Heart pub on Highbury Road first opened its doors in 1938.

The main public bar is home to a real fire and a war memorial where locals can play crib, darts and dominoes.

There’s also a drinking lobby which connects to a rear (smoke) room. In keeping with the timeless vibe, patrons are encouraged to pay by cash.

East of England Real Heritage Pubs features 76 pub interiors of significant historic interest across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.

The guide’s co-editor Michael Slaughter said: “Many of us are fascinated by our built heritage and spend time visiting historic buildings of many kinds.

The Millfield boozer's main public bar, where patrons can play play crib, darts and dominoes while enjoying a pint.

“It is, though, only in recent years, and largely because of CAMRA’s efforts, that pubs with historic interiors have come to be valued by mainstream conservationists. CAMRA picked up the baton on behalf of our pub heritage, filling the gaps in knowledge of what is out there, and actively seeking to protect what is left.”

Of the 90 pubs featured in the first edition of East of England Real Heritage Pubs (published in 2005), ten have been ruined inside whilst another ten have closed altogether.

Co-editor Paul Ainsworth added a cautionary note: “These pubs represent an important aspect of the area’s cultural and built heritage, with quite a number being true national treasures.

"That said, they account for less than 2 per cent, or so, of the pubs in the area.

The Hand and Heart's rear (smoke) room adds to the pub's timeless vibe.

“This is because pub interiors have always been subject to change, and the pace of change has accelerated dramatically since the 1960s.”Launched to coincide with CAMRA’s Norwich Beer Festival (24-29 October), the East of England Real Heritage Pubs features more than 350 photographs of unsung pub interiors ranging from rural time-warps to old coaching inns.

CAMRA guides covering all other regions and parts of the UK are also available.

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