The Crown Bar is a fine example of Belfast building heritage.
In contrast to Bewley's Café on Grafton Street which closed its doors for good this week, the Crown Bar on Great Victoria Street in Belfast is thriving.
The Victorian gin palace with its carved mahogany booths, stained glass windows and gas lamps is a popular haunt for locals and tourists alike. Thirty years ago the future of The Crown was far from certain, until the National Trust stepped in and
Restored the bar to its Victorian splendour.
Everything about this establishment is authentic, says barman Jim Carson,
Real people drinking in the bar, it's real people serving.
Visitor John Walsh would like to see a similar approach taken with regard Bewley’s Café on Grafton Street,
It’s a national monument, at the end of the day.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 3 December 2004. The reporter is Brendan Wright.
