The Old Bear Inn

The Old Bear Inn is a former inn dating from the mid-17th century, with an 18th-century extension and alterations from around 1900 and the 20th century. The building is timber-framed, now encased in brick and mock framing. It has a plain tile roof with ornamental ridge tiles, as well as brick ridge and end stacks. The 18th-century extension features a whitewashed brick facade and a pantile roof. Originally, the inn likely had a lobby-entry plan, but now presents as a long range with a possible four or five bays of framing.

The first floor has mock framing with whitewashed infill, while the ground floor is brick. The first floor features a four-window range of 2/2 sash windows, currently boarded. Below, there are similar windows with gault brick decorative frames and cambered lintels. A blank window is centrally located on the left, and a door is positioned on the far right. A single-storey extension is on the left end, and on the right end, a single-storey 18th-century extension stands out with a high, massive stepped plinth, a central pilaster, and two boarded 3-light casement windows. A boarded 2/2 sash window is set within the main range's gable. The rear of the building has casements to the extension, and 2/2 sashes at first floor on the main range, all currently boarded.

The mid-17th century timber frame is visible on the ground floor, with joists and chamfered bridging beams in a partly opened-up area. Walls are drylined, but part of the frame including the sole plate remains visible. The large brick stack is supported by a 20th-century structure of four segmental arches. On the first floor, a significant portion of the timber frame has been revealed along the length of the building, showcasing a frame of heavy timber in tall panels, with the wall plate intact and some wattle and daub infill surviving. Some bracing and part of the right gable end wall are also visible. The roof was raised around 1900, and features from that period remain, including first-floor fireplaces and 4-panel doors. The 18th-century extension comprises a large reception room with a distinctive plaster 3-centre barrel-vaulted ceiling.

The inn retains a notable portion of good timber framing, along with an unusual 18th-century reception room.