Watford: Que Pasa

Image: © Nigel Cox Taken: 23 May 2010

The Que Pasa ("What's happening" in Spanish) chain of bars is owned by Marston's Brewery. This is the Watford outlet http://www.quepasa.co.uk/views/dsp.ourbars.cfm in the High Street. Formerly a branch of the National Westminster Bank, it was converted into a pub and restaurant, and has had several guises through the years, including The Old Westminster, Cafe Maximo and the Counting House. It is however a Grade II Listed Building and the English Heritage website describes it thus: "Circa 1830-40 stuccoed building, 2-storey with raised parapet. Slate roof. L plan. Front range 3 bays with heavily moulded detail. Angle piers, frieze and cornice. Parapet with corner blocks and panelled centre block. 1st floor windows in projecting flat-headed architrave surrounds. Sill brackets. Ground floor windows with heavy neo-Grecian surrounds. Former central door in pilastered surround with entablature. Side elevation of gable end and further 2 bay range. Pilasters and entablature carried around with moulded pedimental feature with framed panel in gable. Stuccoed chimney above. Two bay range has 1st floor windows identical to front range, divided by pilasters. Ground floor paired windows in each bay, in architrave surrounds with flat hoods on brackets, keystones and panelled aprons. In gable end door paired with a window, similarly treated." The building prominently steps out into the general alignment of the buildings on the west side of the High Street, giving it a double frontage.

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