Galbraith's Alehouse, Auckland, New Zealand

Designer: Keith Galbraith 1995

Many pubs claim, often erroneously, to be the oldest in their land, but without doubt, Galbraith's Alehouse has the most ancient bar-top in the world. Carbon dated to 40,000 years old, the ancient wood came from one of the gargantuan Swamp Kauri trees that flourished in the forests of New Zealand thousands of years before humans arrived in the islands. Kauri trees are hardly shrinking violets and it was their immense size that made the timber so much in demand, especially in the English shipbuilding industry. The slab on top of Galbraith's bar is one single piece of wood, and measures 35 feet by 4 feet.

Galbraith's Alehouse is a brewpub situated in what was Auckland's first branch library, funded by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, and opened in 1912. It is fair to call Galbraith's a library of ales, with fifteen brands on draught, eight of them brewed on the premises and sixty local and international bottled beers, although the Dewey Decimal System has no place here!

In the pub itself, the atmosphere is convivial and the surroundings egalitarian. Reminders of the library come in the wooden panelled walls that bookcases used to line. Native timber is widely used, for flooring, framing, and the furniture, built from reclaimed Kauri and Rimu wood. Exposed brick co-ordinates with the colour of the ceiling and the overall effect of the décor is one of warmth and welcome.

Despite its recent incarnation as a pub, Galbraith's looks as though it has been there for decades, assisted by the decorative mahogany panelled facing of the bar counter, the ornate gantry and mirrors, and the ornamental fireplace.

Photographer: Geoff Mason