The Chequers Inn

The Chequers Inn is a house, inn, and shop located on the South Side of High Street, dating from the 15th to 16th century, although it has undergone alterations. The north front features a three-storey timber-framed structure with an overhang above a modern shop front. The building includes cellars, a moulded cornice, and a parapet. The first and second floors have three sash windows. On the west side of the passageway leading to the inn, there is some original 15th-century studding and the remains of two original timber doorways, one adorned with roses on the lintel, along with original moulded beams above the passageway.

The Chequers Inn forms the rear of No 132 and consists of a three-storey range of ancient origin facing east, now featuring a modern iron balcony and external staircase. At the north end of this range, on the second floor, there is an original 17th-century three-light Venetian window in a restored wooden frame, and above it to the west is a steep-pitched gable. To the south of this range is a 17th-century two-storey roughcast extension, although the cellars are likely older. There is also a range, possibly of 17th-century origin, on the east side of the yard that serves as the kitchen of the inn. This structure is two-storeyed, built of coursed rubble with a Welsh slate hipped roof, featuring a gabled attic dormer. The ground floor has modern windows, while those on the first floor appear to be from the 18th century.

Inside, the inn includes some 15th-century stone panelling, a panelled ceiling from the 16th to 17th century, and a 17th-century stone fireplace. It is believed to have been built by Alderman Richard Kent in the early 16th century when it was known as Kent's Hall. All the listed buildings on the South Side form a group value context.