The Three Cups Inn

The Three Cups Inn

This is a public house, originally built in the 17th century or earlier as an inn or dwelling. Extensions were added to the rear between 1874 and 1909, with further additions to the east side and front (including a porch) dating from around the early 20th century.

The building is timber-framed, later under-built in brick. The ground floor is weather-boarded, except for the west gable end which is tile-hung. The main range has a slate roof and the cross-wing is covered with tiles. The 20th-century additions to the east side and front have felt-covered roofs.

The original plan appears to have been a baffle-entry timber-framed dwelling or inn with a lobby in front of an axial chimney-stack (now removed) and an inglenook fireplace at the west end. The building is now arranged as a public house with a public bar, kitchen, storeroom and bathrooms on the ground floor, and a pub manager's flat on the first floor.

The main range is orientated east to west, facing Battle Road to the north. The front elevation has five bays to the ground floor: a two-light casement window, a five-light bay window, an entrance porch with glazed timber doors, a two-light window, and another five-light bay window. A long flat-roofed veranda with timber posts runs across the entire façade. The first floor has weather-boarding and three two-light casement windows. The slate roof is hipped at the east end and gabled at the west end, where there is a chimney stack. The west elevation is blank and has a tile-hung first floor. A large gabled cross-range projects from the rear, built in red and blue vitrified brick with French doors to the south gable end and a red tile roof. A lean-to and further single-storey additions are attached to the rear. A single-storey brick extension with a fixed and top-hung window and flat felt-covered roof is situated on the east side.

Inside, the entrance porch leads into a large open-plan public bar with a parquet floor, timber-boarded walls and a timber-boarded bar counter. The ceiling is of central girder (axial beam) construction supporting joists that span across the building. The central girders are largely supported by later brick piers, although there is also a substantial stop-chamfered post with a decorative foliated corbel. At the east gable end is a brick and stone inglenook fireplace with a chamfered bressumer inscribed "dT.1696". Two bathrooms, a kitchen and beer store are accessed from the bar. A wooden staircase with turned balusters, possibly of 18th-century date, leads to the first floor, which contains a small kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom. The timber frame is partially visible on the first floor and includes three jowled posts (one of which may be partially sawn off), a tie-beam and wall plate. The walls and ceilings are boarded.