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Pub honoured for preserving 16th Century features

Neve Gordon-Farleigh
BBC News, Suffolk
Historic England Mark Dorber a man looking directly at the camera and smiling. He is standing inside his pub, The Swan, behind the bar and is wearing a dark blue T-shirt.Historic England
Mark Dorber and his wife, Sophie, took over The Swan in 2012

A 16th Century Tudor pub has been given a prestigious award for its efforts in preserving its history.

The Swan in Stratford St Mary, Suffolk, has received a Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) award for its work preserving the historical architectural features of the building.

Mark and Sophie Dorber took over the pub, which sits next to the River Stour, near the Suffolk/Essex border, in 2012, and said they were "honoured" by the award.

They said they had modelled the pub on George Orwell's description of his ideal pub, the fictitious Moon Under Water.

"The Swan is the culmination of decades of pubmanship and we are honoured to have been given this recognition," the couple said.

"Our goal was to create a modern version of Orwell's idealised pub The Moon Under water preserving the Tudor original and adding contemporary amenities."

Mr and Mrs Dorber left London in 2004 for a new life on the Suffolk Coast where they took over The Anchor in Walberswick.

Historic England The white painted exterior of The Swan with black painted beams. A sign of a swan with writing which says THE SWAN in white lettering, hangs from the outside of the building. Historic England
The owners said the pub is modelled on the idealistic pub dreamt up by George Orwell, the Moon Under Water

The Historic England Conservation award was given to the pub for its work in evolving the building while preserving its historical features.

Judges were said to have admired the contemporary design of the conservatory extension with an exterior finished in steel and glass which was said to have a "striking contrast" to the older elements of the building.

Andrew Davison, inspector of ancient monuments at Historic England and chair of the Camra pub design awards judging panel, said the awards recognise the highest standards of pub architecture, artistic flair and historical conservation.

A black and white photo of George Orwell who is smiling at the camera in front of a microphone that has the BBC logo on top of it. He has dark hair and wears a suit jacket, shirt and tie.
George Orwell was an English novelist, poet and journalist in the 20th Century

Orwell was one of the most influential writers of the 20th Century and released books including 1984 and Animal Farm.

In February 1946, he wrote an article for the Evening Standard detailing what made a perfect pub in his opinion.

He said his fictitious Moon Under Water would be found on a side-street, filled mostly with regulars and there was no music to ensure conversation.

A welcoming atmosphere was key for Orwell's pub and he wanted motherly barmaids, open fires, draught stout and a large beer garden.

Almost 80 years on from his writing, landlords of today are still following his rules in an attempt to attract customers.

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