The Ship Inn

The Ship Inn is a public house, originally built as a hotel between 1932 and 1933, with later alterations in the late 20th century. It is constructed of red brick with ashlar dressings and mock timber framing, and has a hipped roof covered in plane tiles, with four brick chimneys. Iron guttering is supported by ornate iron brackets.

The building features a chamfered stone plinth and has two storeys plus attics. The façade is six windows wide, with a prominent three-storey brick bay projecting centrally, topped with a jettied timber-framed gable. A projecting ashlar porch sits beneath a hipped roof, featuring a segmented arch doorway and double doors. A two-storey canted bay window is centrally positioned, with embossed lead panels; the central panel depicts a galleon in full sail. The brick ground floor displays three cross mullion windows; the central single light is flanked by three-light windows, all set within ashlar surrounds with key blocks and hoodmoulds. To the right are two further similar ashlar surrounds, and then a small single-storey wing with two single-light windows. The upper floor has timber framing with two three-light casements to the right, and a single light flanked by three-light casements to the left. Above are two flat-headed dormer windows, each with three lights and segmental hoods.

At the rear, the garden front has irregular fenestration with a three-storey central brick projection topped with a jettied timber-framed gable. A central doorway has side lights, and above is a two-storey canted bay, and a stair window with tile-hung panels. To the left is a five-light bow window, then a window, beyond which a 20th-century door has been inserted into a former window opening, with the original ashlar surround remaining intact. Above are a three-light and two two-light casements, and above again, a pair of two-light flat-headed dormer windows through the eaves, one located on each corner. To the right, there are two windows, then a two-light and a pair of single-light windows in ashlar surrounds, with a projecting brick archway between them supporting an iron fire escape. Further up, a two-light casement is linked upwards to a two-light flat-headed through eaves corner dormer window. Beyond this is a balcony and doorway. Above, a three-light, flat-headed dormer window has a segmental hood, with the left light containing a door.

The interior retains the original plan and many original fittings, including bars, fireplaces, doors, panelling, and a wooden dog-leg staircase. In 1993, the original fireplace in the hallway was removed and rebuilt in a modified form, using original materials. According to local lore, the timber used in the building’s construction is reputed to have come from the warships HMS Collingwood and HMS Southampton. The inn is considered a very complete example of an inter-war roadhouse-style public house.