The Peacock Hotel And Attached Cottage

The Peacock Hotel and attached cottage, originally a coaching inn and now a public house, dates to 1613, although it was substantially remodelled and enlarged in the 18th century. It is constructed of coursed rubble sandstone with ashlar dressings, and some brick. The building has quoins and brick stacks, some with moulded caps. It has stone slated roofs.

The building comprises a double pile range linked to a set-back range to the south, with an 'L' plan cottage attached to the north. The south elevation of the main range is three storeys high with two bays, featuring a brick front and stacked windows. These windows have flush surrounds, with 3-lights to the east of the central doorway and single lights to the west; the ground floor single light opening has a transom, the lower light providing access to the cellar stair. The central doorway has a moulded surround and a 20th-century door. An arched recess is located near the junction of the main range and the later range. Gable ends have sash windows with glazing bars, or fixed lights in plain surrounds to the ground and first floors. A tripartite opening with sashes flanks a central doorway with a 19th-century former four-panelled door, the upper part now glazed.

The main range is set back from the double pile range. The rebuilt south gable of the set-back range is buttressed. A carriage arch is located at the south end of this range, with chamfered rusticated ashlar and a segmental arch with a keyblock connected to a band that links the cills to two first-floor 3-light flush mullion windows and a single light opening, all with casement frames. A further band course links the window heads, with a moulded cornice above. Above this is a small pediment containing a blind roundel bearing the date 1613. The ground floor of the same range has a 3-light flush mullioned window with a cill band that connects it to the doorway at the angle of the two ranges, which has six-panelled double doors and a square overlight incorporating circular glazing bars. The buttressed south gable has a 20th-century coping, indicating the site of a demolished portion of the building to the south.

The attached cottage, an ‘L’ plan range with massive quoins, is probably of 17th-century origin but was completely refashioned in the mid-18th century. The south gable of the cottage has a sash window with glazing bars on the ground floor, and the rear range has stacked 2-light flush mullioned windows to the south wall. The building retains stop-chamfered spine beams with run-out stops.