The Wellington Hotel

The Wellington Hotel is a public house dating from 1890, designed by James and Lister Lea. It was extended from a late 18th-century house and underwent alterations in 1930 by J. P. Osborne.

The building occupies a corner plot at the junction of Bristol Street with Bromsgrove Street, where the streets meet at an obtuse angle of approximately 130 degrees. The building comprises a north-east to south-west aligned house with an east to west orientated wing to the south. The principal elevation largely faces north-west towards Bromsgrove Street, with a frontage of just over two metres on Bristol Street where the bow-fronted east to west wing projects westward. At first and second floor levels, the building line curves from the bay-fronted wing northwards, then curves to the north-east where it adjoins 99-102 Bromsgrove Street. An irregularly shaped courtyard is formed to the north and east, enclosed by the rear of 99-102 Bromsgrove Street to the north, a single storey outbuilding to Henstead Street to the east, and by 74 Bristol Street to the south.

The building is constructed of brick with polished granite and buff ceramic tiles to the ground floor, stucco render to the floors above, and a brick parapet to the roof. Doors and windows are timber. The building comprises a ground floor and two upper storeys, with the roof obscured by the brick parapet.

The 1930 ground floor frontage is clad with polished granite tiles, with moulded door surrounds and dado areas in buff ceramic tiles. The cornice and a course below the fascia are also in buff tiles. Three single doorways, all of later twentieth-century date, are positioned equidistantly along the front. A hatch to the cellar lies between the north-eastern and central doors. The north-east door leads to the pool room, the south-west door to the main bar, and the central door is not in use. The ground level slopes slightly from north-east to south-west with a step up to the north-eastern door. Both the south-western and north-eastern doors have brackets for a lantern above them. The windows are three over three lights with an opening central light above the transom. The central lights are slightly wider than those either side. The lights above the transom are leaded in a simple geometric style whilst those below the transom are frosted. Windows are divided from each other by piers clad in granite tiles. The central door is flanked by two windows to either side. At the north-east Bromsgrove Street end, there is one window past the north-east door flanked by two side lights divided by buff tile mullions with scrolled consoles. At the south-west Bristol Street end, there is one window south of the southern door, then around the curve of the bay to Bristol Street there are two further smaller two-pane windows.

The first and second floors comprise two wings meeting in an L-shape. The east to west wing faces west to Bristol Street in a bow flanked by Corinthian pilasters, whilst the north to south wing initially continues northwards at right angles from the bay wing, then turns in a gentle curve to the north-east to abut 99-102 Bromsgrove Street. The articulation of the upper storeys reveals part of the flat roof of the ground floor, screened off with an ironwork balcony in a simple scrolled foliate design. Both first and second floors are rendered in stucco with quoins to corners. The cornice beneath the roof parapet has a moulded frieze of interlocking circles with flowers within, above which is a row of dentils. The upper windows are all four-light sashes. First floor windows have a triangular pediment above them, except for those in the curved bay to Bristol Street which have no pediment, and the window in the curve of the north-east wing which has a curved pediment. First floor window pediments are supported by scrolled consoles and have circular moulding decoration to the frieze. Second storey windows are located directly over those of the first floor, have no pediments, and are not as tall as those of the first floor. String courses occur at the base of window level on the first and second floors. Pairs of scrolled brackets continue the line of the window surrounds below the first floor string course, whilst simpler corbels support the second floor string course, again in line with the window surrounds above.

The rear elevation is in red brick with scattered two and four-pane windows.

The interior has not been inspected, but available sources indicate that the ground floor remains subdivided into a public bar, rear lounge, and separate games room. This layout reflects the 1930 remodelling, and a fireplace of that date is thought to survive in the main bar. There is a function room on the first floor, along with rooms to let. The second floor has further rooms to let and private accommodation. The basement serves as a beer cellar.