Saunts Pump Hotel... an unusual submission? or not worth it?

PangarbanPangarban ✭✭✭✭✭
edited June 2019 in Wayfarer (Archive)

The funny little things we find due to Ingress. When submissions were coming back, I began to look at the British Listed Buildings website for interesting buildings in my area. One description of a building in Market Harborough said the building was "Late C18, formerly Saunts Pump Hotel and Pharaoh Club." This tiny detail fascinated me with its hints at some sort of debauchery, but was tantalizingly lacking in any specifics. Every internet search simply led to the listing page itself. I even contacted the Harborough Museum and after a bit of digging around they came up with nothing.

Then I realized that the "Saunts Pump Hotel" and the "Pharaoh Club" might be two separate things. The first thing I found wasn't much, but it was a 2012 local news article describing a reunion dance of people who used to frequent Saunts Pump and another dance hall in town back in the 1960s.

I was finally able to get some detailed information from the Harborough History website's High Street Project: Saunts Pump Hotel was a restaurant/coffee house which had a dance hall in the back, and was a popular spot throughout the 40s, 50s and 60s. There was no mention of the Pharaoh Club, but they did say that there was rumoured to be an illegal gambling room, and I wonder if this was the Pharaoh Club. The website even had a picture of the place at the time.

I have found that sort of investigation to be stimulating, especially when it has produced some positive results. However, this is my question: what would you think of this place as a portal? I've written the following description:

"Saunts Pump Hotel was a coffee house with a dance hall behind it in the 1940s-60s. It is even alleged to have had an illegal gambling room. According to the Harborough Mail it was “the place to be” at the time. Built in the 1790s, it is a Grade II Listed building."

What do you think? Is this sort of thing a viable portal? I've also considered getting permission to upload the old photo of the place as the portal photo if it passes.

(References and photo in the next post... I hope!)

Comments

  • PangarbanPangarban ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2019

    References:

    Listing on British Listed Buildings: https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101074423-45-high-street-harborough-market-harborough-great-bowden-and-arden-ward

    Harborough Mail article: https://www.harboroughmail.co.uk/lifestyle/dance-remembers-swinging-60s-1-3655350

    Harborough History Project listing of the full history of the building: http://harboroughhistory.org.uk/project1/p1v1960s.php?id=45

    Photograph from back in the day:


  • XK150XK150 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Honestly, I think you're trying too hard on this one. If there isn't anything interesting or noteworthy now, it's not a good portal. And intentionally uploading old photos to make it look more interesting is way out of line.

  • PangarbanPangarban ✭✭✭✭✭

    A building like this is special in ways that aren't immediately evident to the casual observer. But that's one thing Ingress does for us, it brings to our attention hidden gems in our towns and villages.

    The building is a listed building meaning it has "special interest" in terms of history and architecture. In addition, it has an interesting story, in which it played an important part in the town's cultural history.

    I don't understand why you think using an old photo is "out of line"? The idea here is that it's another level of augmented reality... The player can see as well as read the history of the building.

  • myrthrrmyrthrr ✭✭✭

    Great research, and I'd say this is a "location with a cool story, a place in history"...

    It might however be tricky to get past some opr reviewers, even with a good description.

  • sisimeonsisimeon ✭✭✭
    edited June 2019

    I have had this old factory building accepted. Today it has a gym and a convenience store, but the history behind the building remains. Other similar objects I have had numerous rejections on, despite what @myrthrr says about "a location with a cool story, a place in history". Era-specific architectural buildings with similar stories have also seen a bunch of rejections

    https://strindahistorielag.no/wiki/index.php?title=Nidar%C3%B8_fabrikk

  • SenmanaSenmana ✭✭✭

    I love reading about historical buildings, this sounds fab. Niantic do specifically say a portal photo should be taken by yourself though and not taken off the internet. I assume that would include additional photos, but I love the idea of a historical building being represented by an old photo.

  • TheFarixTheFarix ✭✭✭✭✭

    I asked a similar question about historic buildings listed on the US National Register of Historic Places during the last AMA. Hopefully, there will be a response to it.

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