Three Kings Inn

The Three Kings Inn is an early 17th-century inn with alterations from the late 17th and early 18th centuries. It is timber-framed and largely rendered, with sections cased in red and gault brick, particularly to the gable ends, demonstrating an English bond. The roof is covered in red pantiles and originally thatched, featuring a ridge stack between the front and rear ranges, as well as subsidiary stacks to the gable ends. The building is laid out in an L-shape with a crosswing at the south end. It includes a cellar, two storeys and lofts.

The front elevation has been altered in the 20th century. A carriageway at the north end has been blocked, and a doorway to the crosswing is now partially glazed. Three first-floor sash windows are present, with flush frames in open boxing. The rear wing, possibly with medieval origins, was initially a single-storey building. In the 17th century, its roof was raised, and a first floor was added. The timber frame here is cased in brick dating from the 17th to 18th centuries, with the ground floor painted and the first-floor gable end rendered.

Inside, the front range consists of two bays, connected to a two-bay crosswing. The ceiling frame features stop-chamfered joists and main beams, with reset ovolo-moulded beams above the bar. A blocked inglenook hearth can be found, while another, to the south side of the crosswing, remains exposed. The front wall at ground floor has been rebuilt. The cellar is lined with red brick and vaulted, and it contains a blocked drain or passage leading north, extending beyond the former carriageway. On the first floor, some timber framing is visible, including jowled heads on the posts and chamfered wall plates. A fireplace with a circa 1700 bolection moulding is present in a first-floor chamber, along with reset panelling of various types, including run-through examples on a door. The rear wing is also timber-framed. A corner post, remnant of the original single-storey building, is visible on the north side of the inglenook, along with the tie beam and wall plate, now cased. A further inglenook, ceiling, and first floor were inserted later in the 17th century. The roof over the front range and crosswing is of the conventional side purlin type, while the rear wing’s roof is also 17th century, but of staggered butt purlin construction.