Bear And Ragged Staff Inn

The Bear and Ragged Staff Inn is a farmhouse, later adapted as an inn, dating from the early 17th century with earlier origins. It is constructed of coursed limestone rubble with a gabled stone slate roof. Distinctive features include a gable-end stack on the right-hand side, finished with three diagonally-set brick flues, a similar stack with two flues to the rear gabled bay, and a brick stack at the left end. The building is arranged in a U-plan, with two projecting outer wings flanking a central bay.

The main facade is of two storeys and an attic, and features a three-window range with prominent outer wings. The central bay has decoratively-carved and moulded timber lintels above a 20th-century door within a heavy wood frame and an 18th-century wood-mullioned five-light window with leaded glass above a 20th-century three-light casement in a partially blocked opening. The right-hand gable has chamfered timber lintels over similar 18th-century three- and five-light leaded windows, alongside a 20th-century five-light casement. The left-hand gable exhibits a timber lintel over a 17th-century three-light wood-mullioned ovolo-moulded window, and decorative timber lintels over a 17th-century five-light wood-mullioned and transomed ovolo-moulded window with leaded lights, and a 20th-century five-light window. The inner walls of the outer wings have decorative timber lintels over blocked windows, which are above timber lintels over blocked doors. The rear elevation has a mix of 17th-century wood-mullioned windows, and a reset late 16th-century three-light round-headed stone-mullioned window.

Inside, the central hall features a stepped ovolo-moulded beam and a large open fireplace with sunk spandrels to a chamfered wood bressumer. A timber-framed partition with a double ovolo-moulded door architrave separates the hall from a room to the right, which also has a similar beam. This room contains a stone-relief strapwork panel above the fireplace, with a chamfered wood bressumer and hollow-chamfered stone jambs. A timber-framed partition wall divides the hall on the left side, leading to a room with a chamfered ogee-stopped beam and two chamfered doorways to the rear, one of which provides access to a newel staircase. The newel staircase is characterized by straight flights at the top and bottom, with simple turned balusters on a closed string. Upstairs, there are chamfered doorframes within a timber-framed partition, while a large central room displays cyma-moulded beams and another room features a 17th-century plaster cornice. A grille of simple turned balusters serves as a cupboard above a plank door leading to the attic stairs. The interior also retains 17th-century plank doors, some set in segmental-arched, chamfered doorframes. The roof structure employs collar trusses.