The Cardinal'S Hat Public House

The Cardinal's Hat public house, located on Friar Street in Worcester, dates to approximately 1760, although it may incorporate elements from the late 15th century. Later additions and alterations occurred, including the right-hand ground floor frontage around 1900. The building is constructed of pinkish-orange brick in Flemish bond, with stone sills and a plain tile roof, half-hipped on the right side. It rises three stories with an attic at the rear, and has three windows on the first floor. The first and second floors feature fluted keystones and flat arches formed with gauged brick. Replacement 12-pane sash windows are set in near-flush frames, all with sills. A dentil eaves cornice runs along the top.

The pub front displays a Tudorbethan style; the wide, off-centre entrance has three doors, canted inwards, leading to the bars and a hallway. These doors are partly glazed with a four-centred light and multi-pane overlight. A chamfered plinth supports square panels of imitation timber framing, and mullion and transom windows. The window to the left has four lights, while the window to the right has two lights, with ovolo-moulded mullions and transoms. A band of imitation timber framing sits above. An ovolo-moulded cornice tops the facade.

Inside, the tap room on the left exhibits decorative close studding. A stone chimneypiece with a four-centred arch features a plaster relief of a cardinal’s hat above the fire. The lounge, situated at the rear, contains panelling and boxed beams dating to around 1900, along with a similar stone chimneypiece and a Tudor-style overmantel. Fixed benches line the walls, and the windows contain stained glass depicting a cardinal’s hat. The hall has a panelled dado with lozenge decoration, and an open-newel staircase with rod-on-vase balusters, square knops, and a shaped handrail. A snug located to the left also showcases decorative close studding.

Historical records indicate a public house named The Cardinal's Hat has existed on this site since at least 1497. John Gaskell, a London carrier, purchased the property in 1757 and subsequently rebuilt it. In 1814, it reverted to an inn, then known as the Coventry Arms.