The Biggin Hall Hotel public house

The Biggin Hall Hotel is a purpose-built public house designed in 1921 by T F Tickner for the brewery Marston, Thompson and Evershed Ltd, and opened in 1923. The building is constructed in Neo-Tudor style and has undergone later alterations.

Construction and Materials

The ground floor is built of red brick laid in English bond with red sandstone dressings to the principal elevation. The secondary elevations are of red brick laid in Flemish bond. The first floor is rendered with applied vertical and horizontal timbering, and the building is covered with plain clay tile roofs. All windows are metal-framed casements throughout.

Plan and Layout

The detached building is set back from the main road and has a roughly L-shaped plan. To the front (north), running parallel to the road, is the public bar, flanked by porches. The east porch originally opened onto the off-sales compartment, which now forms part of the public bar. The west porch led to a dogleg entrance hall from which all the ground-floor rooms and the staircase could be accessed. The west entrance has been blocked internally and now forms part of the toilets.

At the south end of the entrance hall is the staircase, with the lounge bar to the east side and the former smoke room to the west side. To the rear of the former smoke room is the kitchen. At first-floor level, above the public bar, is the club room, and above the lounge bar are the amalgamated former dining/tea room and the sitting room. To the west, above the former smoke room and kitchen, is domestic accommodation, which continues to the attic.

Exterior

The building is of two storeys with an attic and cellar, and has pitched roofs. The principal (north) elevation has a central three-bay range, with each bay emphasised by half-timbering. The gabled, central entrance bay is set-forward and comprises a canted lobby at ground floor with double doors and a four-centred arch fanlight above. The first-floor bay window has ten single-light transom windows. From the centre of the window projects a decorative timber and iron bracket patterned with a portcullis and Tudor roses, which carries the overhanging pub sign. To the gable are four single-lights, with brick to the apex above. The flanking bay windows to the ground and first floor have pairs of cross-windows with leaded lights. There is a gable-end stack to the west end. Flanking the principal range are single-storey porches with double doors and pairs of arched fanlights above, set beneath sweeping roofs. Behind each porch is a two-storey block comprising one bay to the east and two to the west. Both have half-timbering at first-floor level.

The gabled east elevation of the main range is set behind the gable of the flanking bay, and has had a utilitarian fire escape added. To the ground floor is an inserted central doorway, formerly a window, which is now blocked internally. A further gabled bay towards the rear has a gable end stack.

The rear (south) elevation is much plainer. It includes the bay window to the lounge bar and above are two three-light windows, and a raking dormer window to the attic. The left-hand bay breaks forward and includes a half-timbered gabled dormer window with integrated stack. Extending to the south is a two-storey range with a ridge stack to its north end, and a lateral stack to its east wall. There is a single-storey lean-to to its south end.

The west elevation of the principal building includes the gabled bay of the smoke room, with a bow window to the ground floor.

Interior

Ground Floor

The central front entrance provides access, via the lobby, to the public bar which has timber screens to either side of the double doors, fixed seating with heating pipes beneath, a fireplace to the west end, and dado-height timber panelling. Moulded pilasters support cross-axial ceiling beams with panelled detailing, and in the public bar and other principal rooms are moulded cornices, picture rails and skirting boards.

The bar counter, which is to the south side of the public bar, is in its original location but appears to have been replaced and shortened at its west end, which now has a squared corner. The bar back also seems to be modern, as is the floor tiling in front of the counter. At its east end, the public bar has been enlarged to incorporate the former off-sales area, and some of the openings in the east wall have been blocked internally.

The entrance hall originally occupied the west bay of the ground floor, but this has been blocked by the extension of the toilets. The doorway to the south wall of the public bar accesses the remaining hall, which includes a 1920s or 1930s quadrant-shaped bar counter which presumably served the smoke room. Its panelling is identical to the bar counter in the lounge and is topped by a stained glass screen, with cornice above.

At the south end of the entrance hall is the staircase with timber-panelling to the stairwell. Behind the staircase, opposite the door to the cellar, is a panelled door to the former ladies' toilet, now the disabled toilet.

To the east side of the staircase is the lounge. Part of the partition wall between the lounge and the staircase has been removed. The lounge retains fixed benches with heating pipes beneath, and a bar counter. According to CAMRA the bar back is a replacement, as is the tiling in front of the bar. At the east end of the lounge is an inglenook fireplace. The fireplace is recessed within a panelled arched opening with flanking panelled pilasters. The fire surround is also panelled, as is the back wall. To either end is a single fixed seat, and there is moulded cornicing to the ceiling above. The ceiling beams in the lounge have timber panelling, and there is also a section of full-height panelling to the left of the bar counter.

The former smoke room is to the west of the staircase, and its west wall has been almost completely removed. The room has dado-height wall panelling, some added when the partition walls were altered, and anaglypta wallpaper to the ceiling. The floor has been replaced. The fireplace on the south wall has had its grate removed, and to the left a doorway has been inserted to the kitchen, former scullery and larder. The former toilet and coal shed at the south end of the kitchen appear to survive, although not inspected.

First Floor

To either side of the half-landing is a five-panelled door, providing access to a toilet on the east side with tiled walls and original door and door furniture, and domestic accommodation on the west side (not inspected).

The stairs continue to the club room which has pilasters with moulded corbels to either side of the bay window, supporting panelled, cross-axial ceiling beams. The bay window has been adapted to form a stage and the windows are blocked internally. The fireplace at the west end has been removed. The door to the left provides access to the toilets which have been re-configured, and an additional door has been inserted to the south wall of the club room providing access to the ladies' toilets.

At the east end of the club room is the bar counter or servery with stained and leaded glass counter screens which can be raised. These are set within a timber frontispiece with moulded cornice and panelling. There are fitted shelves within the servery. The former opening to the right has been enlarged, and the wall to the south side of the club room has been partially removed to provide access to the former dining/tea room and the sitting room, which have been amalgamated. The fireplaces have been retained, as well as the hatched door between the servery and former dining/tea room. The first-floor rooms have parquet floors.

The staircase continues to the attic where there is additional domestic accommodation.

Cellar

The cellar is divided into three rooms with original timber doors and iron door furniture, and a brick floor. The principal room has a brick platform to the perimeter and associated drainage channels.