The Sword In Hand Public House

The Sword in Hand Public House is a building located in Westmill village that dates back to the 16th century. It was altered in the early 18th century, converted into an inn in 1800, and underwent further changes in the late 19th century, likely in the 1880s. The structure features a timber frame with roughcast exterior on a low red brick sill, which has been renewed. It has a steep old red tile roof that extends down over low rear extensions.

This house has a three-unit plan with a continuous front jetty on the south side and two rear lateral chimneys. The layout includes a parlour at the west end, a short hall-bay with an axial beam that is chamfered with an ogee stop. The building stands two storeys tall with attics, and there is a 19th-century gabled rear wing in the middle that has three low floors. The front elevation features a central gabled dormer on the roof slope, with three windows on each floor and a door in the middle.

The upper floor has a shallow projection with a moulded cove and small trusses at each end. The ground floor is fitted with flush box sash windows that have 6/6 panes and shutters, along with a half-glazed door. The two chimneys have tall diagonal conjoined shafts. Inside, the west room is panelled and features a bolection moulded fire surround and a panel above it. There is a large curved knee-brace supporting the cross-beam and an exposed jowled post for the jetty in the east room. The house was associated with the Bellenden family from the early 18th century until around 1800, and its name derives from the crest of the Greg family.