White Lion Hotel

The White Lion Hotel is a building comprising elements from the later 16th century and the 18th century, with a smaller extension added in the early 19th century. It is located on London Road, with an older section facing onto Bell Street. The building is in the shape of an "L".

The original western block was constructed around 1720-30, while the eastern extension dates to the early 19th century. The northern range is timber-framed and plastered, with a steep gabled roof covered in old red tile. The slate roof covers the eastern extension and the rear slope of the main roof. The western block is built of red brick, with a gabled roof of old red tile. The northern range includes a two-bay gabled crosswing next to the eastern extension, formerly jettied hall, and a service end extending to the west. A large chimney is located at the upper (eastern) end of the hall. The building’s earlier western block has higher rooms containing a central corridor with a room on each side on the first floor, presumably mirroring the ground floor arrangement which has been gutted. External gable chimneys are present. The northern front onto Bell Street features a brick plinth, weatherboarding up to the cill of the ground floor windows, and chevron patterned panelled pargetting above the cill. Overhanging eaves are present, along with bargeboards to the gable of the crosswing. There are three wooden two-light casement windows to the first floor, with six panels to each light. A flush sash window with 8/8 panes is located on the ground floor, alongside a canted bay window to the crosswing. The 19th-century eastern extension is weatherboarded, and features a flush boxed sash window to the first floor with 6/6 panes. A shop front with a simple pilastered design, a box cornice on shaped brackets, a three-light window, a three-panel door, and a guttae are also present. A C16 moulded heavy plank and batten rear door provides access from the kitchen to the rear yard.

The western block presents a splendid front to London Road, rising to two storeys and featuring a parapet with five windows. It is constructed of red brick with lighter red dressings and some stone detailing. Segmental gauged brick arches are topped with stone keystones. Giant order Doric pilasters are located at the corners, with moulded stone bases and capitals. A moulded brick entablature projects over each pilaster, decorated with cut brick trigliphs and guttae. A moulded band is at first floor level, returning before the pilasters. The bed mould of the cornice and the floor band project over the keystone of each window. The central door is raised and fielded, set within a wide wooden Doric doorcase with rusticated pilasters and a full entablature with trigliphs and mutules projecting over the pilasters. The bases and foresteps of the doorcase were removed following road widening in 1959. The windows are recessed box sashes with 6/6 panes, featuring segmental heads to the frame and upper sash. The parapet has been rebuilt. A wrought iron bracket with cresting is positioned centrally over the door. A modern, single-storey brick extension is located to the south. The western block’s gable walls and parapets incorporate projecting gable chimneys.

Internally, the building is generally plain, but timbers are exposed in the northern range. The ground floor features stop-chamfered spine beams with run-out stops, wall framing on the first floor, and chamfered tie beams in the crosswing.