Molineux Hotel Building

The Molineux Hotel Building is a substantial house and later hotel, dating from circa 1720, with significant additions from the mid-18th century and a 19th-century extension. It was built for Benjamin Molineux, an ironmaster. The building is constructed of brick with ashlar dressings and originally had a tile roof, though much of this has been removed, leaving brick stacks. The building is three storeys high, with a five-window facade, a two-window range to the right, and a two-storey three-window range to the left. The central range features plat bands above the ground and first floors, a top cornice (mostly removed), and quoins. Windows generally have rusticated wedge lintels with keystones, although many are currently boarded, with some remaining 12-pane sashes. The central entrance has a plain surround and scrolled brackets where a hood once stood. A clock turret, dating from the early 1870s, sits atop the building. The section to the right features similar windows on the upper floors and an inserted entrance. The range to the left exhibits quoins and a cornice, with matching windows. A 19th-century two-storey, three-window return range displays matching architectural details, including a brick cornice and coped gable. The right return has a section that projects forward, featuring a plat band above the ground floor and a top modillioned cornice with a stone-coped parapet. Windows on this return have rubbed brick flat arches with keystones, with a Venetian window on the ground floor. These details are continued to a six-window rear range, which includes a recessed entrance bay and incorporates a Venetian window on the ground floor, to the left of a round-headed entrance. This entrance is distinguished by a keystone, panelled pilasters, a frieze, and a consoled pediment. A three-bay range projects to the right, with windows featuring rubbed brick flat arches, one being round-headed on the ground floor.

Inside, there is a well-preserved open-string staircase with three thin, twisted balusters to each tread (though many are missing). A ground-floor room to the right features Rococo-style plaster wall panelling and ceiling, along with an Adam-style fireplace. The Oak Room has fine contemporary wooden panelling with Corinthian pilasters. Another room also contains wooden panelling. The grounds of the hotel were opened to the public in 1860, marking the establishment of Wolverhampton's first public park.