The pub that was known as the The Rayners was formerly Rayners Hotel. Located at 23 Village Way East, The Rayners was one of the last interwar public houses called ’Roadhouses’.
Constructed in 1937 by Truman’s Brewery, The Rayners was designed by the architectural firm Eedle & Meyers, renowned for their specialisation in pub design from the 1880s to 1946. The building exemplifies the “roadhouse” style popular at the time, characterised by the large car parks catering to the increasing number of motorists.
It is of special interest as a virtually unaltered 1930s public house of high architectural quality, which retains its internal plan form and a wealth of original joinery and fittings.
The Rayners pub is now closed and was only saved from redevelopment by last minute listing as a building of architectural merit.
The pub closed in 2006, was subsequently refurbished, and became a religious teaching establishment – Christ the Redeemer College.
The pub sign still remains and features a rendering of the original Rayner’s farm buildings that were built for the labourers of Daniel Hill’s farm.
Rayners Lane 