The Queen's Head

The Queen's Head

A public house, originally a house. The building was probably constructed in the mid-16th century, extended to the west in the early 17th century, with a late 17th or early 18th century rear staircase addition and 19th century and later rear extensions. It was refurbished around 1929. Later 20th century rear extensions are not included in this listing.

The structure is timber-framed in two separate frames, with plastered infill and brick underbuild on the ground floor, partly rendered. The roof is covered in plain tiles and sits above two brick chimneystacks. Windows are predominantly 1920s metal-framed casements. An attached wooden inn sign is displayed on the front.

Plan and Development

The eastern three bays form the earliest part, a mid-16th century house which, based on surviving mortise holes, may have been of Wealden type but without an open hall. This original house was extended by an early 17th century separately framed and jettied two-storey west parlour bay with a heated room on each floor. A late 17th or early 18th century staircase addition was constructed to the north, positioned mainly behind the original western but now penultimate bay. Further rooms were inserted into the attic, probably in the early 18th century. A north-east extension was added in the 19th century. Separate room divisions on the ground floor were removed in the later 20th century.

Exterior

The south or entrance front facing the High Street displays four 1920s hipped dormers with metal casement windows. The first floor overhangs on a continuous jetty, with original floor joists exposed in the western bay alongside a 20th century moulded beam. Applied 1920s closely-spaced wooden posts and curved braces are positioned at the ends, with four triple casement windows above. The ground floor is rendered except for some close-studding exposed in the western bay, with 1920s triple mullion and transom casements. The penultimate window from the west features a similar but canted four-bay window supported on brackets. Two 1920s entrances sit under penticed tiled hoods with arched heads. Attached to this front is a wooden gallows or beam-arm and post inn sign, depicted in a sketch dated 1827.

The rear or north side has some exposed timbers on the first floor, but much of the original building is concealed behind a late 19th century two-storey painted brick gabled wing attached to the eastern bay, the 17th century projecting two-storey staircase addition with a hipped tiled roof, and further 20th century extensions to the west.

The east and west sides of the building are concealed by adjoining buildings.

Interior

The ground floor of the original building lost its original room partitions in the later 20th century and now forms one large bar. The larger western bay, originally a parlour, has a chamfered and cyma-stopped axial joist with regular straight, chamfered and cyma-stopped floor joists, repositioned 17th century panelling, and a wide 18th century brick fire surround with a three-centred arch and 1920s brick interior. The penultimate western bay and the eastern bay have axial main joists and wavy floor joists typical of 15th and 16th century service rooms. The eastern bay contains a small diagonally set 1920s brick fireplace. The penultimate eastern bay has a reused main joist and narrower pit-sawn floor joists. The bar counter and back fitting are of later 20th century date.

The first floor is accessed by a well staircase in a purpose-built stair tower with a simple moulded string and handrail, square newel posts, and wavy splat balusters of late 17th or early 18th century date.

Much of the original rear wall is exposed along a north corridor on the first floor, displaying jowled bay posts and tension braces. The eastern part of this corridor contains some panelling incorporating a blocked panelled door with H-hinges and a nine-panel fanlight above, which once formed the original north wall of the penultimate eastern room.

The eastern room displays an exposed tie beam and wall-plate. It is accessed through a ledged plank door with pintles and thin spear-ended hinges. The top of a large tapering brick chimneystack along the north wall is concealed in a cupboard with a narrow cupboard door. A mid-19th century wooden fire surround with cast iron fire-grate is present.

The penultimate room to the east has an exposed top-plate, cambered tie beam, and jowled post.

The penultimate room to the west shows an exposed tie beam, jowled post, top-plate, storey posts and studs, and a two-panelled door of late Georgian type.

The western room features a wide early 18th century ledged plank door with an iron latch and hand-wrought pintle hinges, together with a late 19th century pressed steel lock box. It is ceiled at tie beam level, with posts to the north-east, south-east and south-west barely visible but without jowls. There is a shutter groove in the south wall-plate.

The dining room in the eastern extension contains an Edwardian timber fire surround and cast iron fire-grate, both decorated with sunflower motifs.

The door to the attic staircase is of ledged planks with an iron latch and pintle hinges. Steep straight flight stairs lead to the attics, which are divided into four rooms. The roof structure comprises clasped purlins with diminished principal rafters and tenoned collars retaining original rafters, with some curved wind braces on the north side. Rooms were inserted into the three western bays probably in the early 18th century when purlins were sawn through on the south side to accommodate dormer windows. The eastern bay was probably used for storage. Some old floorboards survive, along with partitions of laths and daub and plank doors.

The cellar contains a door with 19th century box locks, a chamfered main floor joist, and a 19th century brick barrel shute.