The Old Punch House Inn

The Old Punch House Inn is a public house with a flat above, originally built in the 18th century, with alterations made in the 19th and 20th centuries. The front is constructed of yellow brick with red dressings, and features a rusticated stucco ground floor with a plinth. There are moulded brick cornices above the first and second floor windows, and a painted, moulded band at the first floor level. The old tiled roof is hidden by a parapet with stone coping, and there is a large central dormer with a pediment and a Welsh slate roof, along with 19th century red brick chimneystacks that have oversailing courses, aligned with the parapet.

The building has three storeys and attics above a basement. On the second floor, there are four sash windows with glazing bars, which are flush set with exposed boxes and architrave surrounds. The first floor windows are recessed, all beneath flat cutter arches. The ground floor features two sash windows with glazing bars and a central recessed entrance door with a fanlight above, accessed by three steps. There is also a lower door beneath a rusticated keystone and lintel at the far right, along with two cellar windows. The tall red brick flank wall on the left forms the boundary with the set-back frontage of No.8, Rankin House, which is adjacent.

At the rear, there is a long three-storey red brick outshoot on the right, which includes first and second floor bands, two flush-set sash windows on the first floor, and a four-light casement on the second floor, topped with a hipped old tile roof. Additionally, there is a large single-storey red brick extension from the 1980s on the left, featuring a hipped sandfaced tiled roof. This extension is partly behind No.6, which has been opened out into No.7 on the ground floor.

Historically, the building was associated with the wine and spirit business of the Ellis family, who also operated a private drinking club from the late 17th century. It became known as The Punch House in the early 19th century, a name that was previously linked to No.82 High Street.