Yew Tree Hotel And Attached Railings And Piers And Gates

Yew Tree Hotel and Attached Railings, Piers and Gates

A house, now hotel, dating to 1579 with 18th and 20th century alterations and additions. It stands on the west side of High Street, Henley-in-Arden.

The building comprises timber-framing with plastered infill, a painted brick addition to the left, and a rendered brick section to the right. It has a hipped and gabled tile roof with brick ridge and rear stacks. The cross-axial stack to the right features diagonal shafts. The structure divides into two main parts: the left part has a complex plan, while the right part, formerly comprising two houses, has a 3-unit plan plus cross-wing arrangement with a 2-unit plan addition to the right.

The left part is two storeys with a four-window range. A two-storey porch under a hipped roof sits to the right of centre, with a gabled timber-framed projection to its left and a large two-storey canted bay under a hipped roof to its right. The left end has a plat band and coped gable. The porch opening features panelled pilasters, a frieze and cornice, with inner benches and an entrance door with studded wide boarding.

Windows throughout have wooden frames with leaded glazing and some iron opening casements. The ground floor displays a window with three-light transomed glazing. The canted bay to the projection has a frieze and cornice over a five-light transomed window with decorative leading. The canted bay right of the porch contains a five-light transomed window. At first floor level, the left end has a window with paired cross-casements. The projection has a three-light transomed window flanked by original small two-light wooden-mullioned windows. The porch features a large three-light window, and the bay to the right displays a five-light transomed window flanked by cross-casements, with a narrow cross-casement to the right end.

Close-studded framing appears on the first floor of the projection and porch. The gables have square framing. Decorative panelling with cusped concave-sided lozenges ornaments the area over the entrance. A blocked entrance at the left end bears a plaque with a boar's head crest pierced by an arrow. Rainwater heads are present in places.

The right part is two storeys with a three-plus-three-window range. An entrance to the left of centre has a studded door with strap hinges. The wing to the left features a bay window with a frieze and cornice over one-four-one-light transomed glazing, with two three-light transomed windows to the centre and left, and one to the right end at ground floor level. First floor windows include a canted oriel to the wing with decorative glazing, a two-light window over the entrance, and three-light windows flanked by two gabled half-dormers with three-light windows. Close studding extends across the first floor except the wing, which has decorative framing to its gable. The addition to the right has three windows with two-light casements and a first-floor window with similar casement to the left end. The right return displays wall stud and exposed square framing with painted brick infill to the first floor and gable.

A parallel rear range and lean-to outshut are present. Lead rainwater heads are visible in places.

The interior of the left part was not inspected at the time of listing, but records indicate that the room to the right of the lobby contains a large stone fireplace with a moulded opening. A small room to the left has a similar but plainer fireplace dated 1651. Two rear rooms, now united, retain an early 16th century stone fireplace with moulded jambs and a four-centred arch with foliate spandrels. The overmantel is not entirely in its original position. The north end features chamfered and moulded beams. An early 17th century staircase has pierced balusters moulded to the rake of the stair.

Attached to the building are iron railings on a stone-coped brick plinth with spear-head finials. Rusticated brick piers with ashlar ball finials support a gate.

William James, the railway pioneer, made his home here from 1796.