The Spinning Wheel (Including Wing To Rear)

The Spinning Wheel, located at No 40 The Borough, is a Grade II* listed building dating from the 16th to 17th century, built on the site of an earlier structure, with part of the back possibly dating from the 14th century. This three-storey building features a tall double-gabled front made of timber-frame, with curved braces arranged in decorative patterns on the outer panels of framing beneath each gable. The roof is covered with old tiles and projects over moulded bargeboards at the gables, oversailing at the second floor level. A moulded beam spans the front, supported by three carved wooden brackets.

The front displays two rectangular bays, each consisting of ten-light mullioned and transomed windows with moulded cills, transoms, and heads, supported by two brackets. Each bay is flanked by a pair of two-light casements, creating a continuous window across the front, all featuring leaded lights. To the right of the centre on the first floor, there is a smaller, similar splayed bay flanked by small three-light casements. The left end of the ground floor has a modern shop entrance, which is a reproduction from the 18th century, featuring a wide flat central bow with a glazed door to the left and a window on the wall face to the right.

At the back, there is a long two-storey wing constructed of timber-frame with brick infilling, featuring irregular lead casements and plain doors. The interior has been reconstructed, with open balustraded galleries at the floor levels in the front part of the building, which opens to the roof in the centre. At one point, part of the building was used as a post office, and for a brief period after 1860, the Goats Head Inn was relocated here from the corner of Castle Street. The building was likely originally a cloth merchant's house. Restoration work was carried out by H Falkner under the patronage of C E Borelli.

The Spinning Wheel is part of a group with the Borough front of the Bush Hotel and Nos 29 to 44 (consecutive).