Red Lion Hotel

Red Lion Hotel

Hotel remodelled in 1776 by Robert Adam for Sir Rowland Winn of Nostell Priory, located on the north-west side of Pontefract Market Place.

The building is constructed of red brick in Flemish bond, with painted stone and rubbed brick dressings, and a slate roof. It comprises three storeys with five bays arranged as 2:1:2 around a central hallway plan, together with a lower three-storey single bay to the right containing the carriage entrance.

The main elevation features a slightly advanced, wider central bay with a pedimented top. The ground floor of this bay has a tripartite entrance formed by four engaged Tuscan columns supporting an entablature with plain frieze and moulded cornice. Below this stands a central 20th-century panelled double door with a leaded overlight, flanked by leaded side-lights. To either side are pairs of plate-glass sash windows.

The first floor displays a wide band across the facade and a narrower sill band. The central bay has a full-height tripartite opening composed of Ionic columns on sill-deep plinths with moulded cornices, supporting an entablature with a fluted frieze and paterae over the central columns, and a dentilled cornice. A central half-glazed double door below a divided overlight is flanked by narrow plate-glass sashes. To either side are pairs of sashes. A balcony to the front has alternating wavy and plain bars. Above runs a wide second-floor band.

On the second floor, the central bay contains a central plate-glass sash flanked by narrower similar sashes, all set above a wide apron with fluted architrave and corner paterae. To either side are plate-glass sashes. All sashes throughout sit beneath flat rubbed brick arches; ground and second-floor sashes in the side bays have projecting stone sills. A heavily moulded stone cornice and pediment crown the elevation. Brick end stacks are present.

The recessed bay to the right contains a wide carriage entrance at ground-floor level, with engaged Tuscan columns and entablature. This bay continues the wide first-floor band and narrower sill-band from the main facade. The first and second floors feature full-height semi-circular-headed recesses with rubbed brick arches and wide stone impost bands at second-floor band level. The first floor has a plate-glass sash within the full-height opening, with moulded architrave descending to first-floor band level below a pediment on moulded consoles; the space below the sill is filled in to form a recessed apron. The second floor has a plate-glass sash with projecting stone sill and flat rubbed brick arch. A moulded stone cornice matches that of the main facade. The roof is hipped to the right, with a brick end stack.

At the rear, a first-floor room over an arch retains an early 18th-century sash window frame with thick glazing bars.

Interior features include a ground-floor room to the front left with 19th-century mahogany panelling and a bolection-moulded fireplace. The ground-floor room to the front right contains early 18th-century round-arched niches with leaded light mirrors and keyed architraves flanking a later fireplace. To the rear left is an open-well staircase of cantilevered stone with wrought-iron stick balusters featuring roundels every four bars, a wreathed handrail, bracketed strings and a cornice above the first-floor landing. The first-floor saloon to the front (now divided) has doors of six fielded panels and a large fireplace to the right with fluted pilasters, a frieze with corner roundels, and a dentilled shelf above the mantle shelf. A wooden staircase from first to second floor at the rear right has stick balusters and turned baluster standards. A queen post roof is present. The first floor also includes a dining room to the rear left with late 19th-century hardwood panelling and a round domed skylight with coloured glass.

An original drawing of the facade by Robert Adam is held at Nostell Priory.