Former Royal Arms Public House

Former public house of around 1810, closed in the late C20 and converted to supported accommodation and shops around 2010.   MATERIALS: the principal front has glazed brown facing brick in stretcher bond to the ground floor, overpainted brick to the first floor and exposed red brick on the return and rear elevations, under concrete tile-covered roofs.   PLAN: rectangular on a deep plan, indicative of its historic burgage plot form.   EXTERIOR: the front elevation is two-storey across three bays, with the ground floor faced in dark brown glazed bricks with decorative pilasters and light-brown rectangular panels. There is ceramic swag decoration to the brackets at the top of the pilasters. The two entrances have panelled double doors with multi-pane top lights. The three, tripartite transom windows have decorative etched glass and multi-pane top lights.   There is a cast-iron canopy which projects over the pavement across the whole of the frontage. It has thin columns with decorative capitals and filigree support, beneath a panelled frieze of brown glass in a geometric pattern, set within a bottle green border. Each panel displays inset white glass script in an early C20 stylised font, reading across the frieze as 'BRICKWOODS AND CO'S BRILLIANT ALES SUPERIOR WINES AND SPIRITS'. The returns carry 'ROYAL ARMS'. Below the frieze there are small, drop pendants and the glazed lean-to roof is fronted by crested decoration.   The first floor is of painted brick and surmounted with a brick string course beneath the parapet. It has three pairs of recessed, one over one sash windows in moulded timber frames with painted brick heads. Towards the right side, there is a painted sign 'ROYAL ARMS', below a metal support for a pub sign (missing).    The west side elevation is mainly of unpainted brick with one modern door and one panelled door with multi-pane top lights. It has timber transom windows with multi-pane top lights to the ground floor and six over six pane sash windows to the first floor. Above, there is a rebuilt chimney stack with two C20 pots. The mainly concealed roof is triple-hipped and covered with brown concrete, interlocking tiles. There is also a brick chimney stack to the east side with dentil detailing and two pots.   INTERIOR: the former pub rooms to the ground floor have been modernised and converted into an open plan space accessed through the former public bar and lounge bar entrances. The smaller area to the left side has a fireplace with timber surround and red tile insert. The rear of the ground floor is no longer accessible from the former bar area and this along with the entirety of the first floor have been subdivided into accommodation units with modern finishes.