The Dog and Duck Public House

The Dog and Duck Public House

This is a former dwelling of 16th-century origins or earlier, extended in the late 18th or early 19th century, and converted to a beer house by the mid-19th century. It is a Grade II listed building.

The building comprises two principal ranges. The north-west (rear) range is a 16th-century three-bay timber-frame structure with a 17th-century stack added to the north-west elevation and a brick addition to the south-west dating to at least the early 19th century. The south-east (front) range is a parallel two-storey structure built in the late 18th or early 19th century.

The north-west range is timber-framed with large-panel frames, part of the ground floor underbuilt in brick, and is topped by a large hipped tile roof with gablets. The exposed timber framing features large curving braces and corner posts. The timber infills combine rendered panels and painted brick. At ground floor, the north-east end has been underbuilt in brick and incorporates a late 20th or early 21st-century double-glazed four-light window. The north-west end retains exposed timber framing with 20th or early 21st-century windows and doors. A large stone stack stands at the centre of the north-west elevation, with the upper portion rebuilt in brick. A pre-1840 single-storey brick extension with pitched roof is located at the south-west end. Internally, much of the timber frame has been painted black.

The south-east range is constructed of brick laid in Flemish bond under a pitched tile roof. It is two-storeys with tall brick stacks with stepped coping at either end. At ground floor, the former front elevation is now obscured. Above, the setback first floor includes a pair of box-frame sash windows with a central blind window, featuring splayed flat-arched heads with brick voussoirs. A dogtooth course runs below the roof eaves. The north-east return has a casement window.

Internally, the former south-east elevation of the rear range is now an internal wall between the two ranges, retaining large-panel timber framing. Some infill panels have been removed to create access between the ranges. At the north-east end, timber posts with matching chamfer and stop decoration may indicate a former entrance or reused timbers. The rear range is at a lower level than the front. The ground floor east and central bays are open and form a dining area, with visible internal timber wall frames and substantial transverse beams and joists supporting the floor above. The ceiling over the east end is slightly lower than the rest of the room, with evidence of modifications including reuse and reinforcement of beams and joists. Within the north-west wall is a large fireplace with a chamfered bressumer featuring stepped lamb-tongue stops; its inner face is brick with 20th-century windows inserted into the returns. A wall divides the central and west bays, which has been converted to a kitchen with a high ceiling. Timber framing is visible on the ground floor of the north-west wall. The pre-1840 extension has a queen-strut roof.

The south-east range has been opened at ground floor to create a large bar area. The former external wall has been breached at various points, with 21st-century central internal doors inserted where the front door once stood. A large fireplace at the south-west end has a chamfered-and-stopped bressumer, flanked by cupboards with panelled doors. A further chamfered-and-stopped transverse beam is present at this end. The bar counter is 20th-century, and some timber beams and posts appear to be reused from elsewhere.

A straight-flight staircase runs along the south-east side of the rear range to the first floor. Within the rear range, the inner face of the external timber frame is visible, including jowl post tops. The bays are divided by two queen-post trusses. The western truss includes a curved brace and central post below the tie beam, indicating this end was always closed. The eastern truss is partially visible with other posts inserted below the tie beam. An additional tie beam has been added at the east end to reinforce the roof. Doorways with plank doors and iron straps of various dates provide access between bays. A brick fireplace with timber mantle is inserted into the central bay.

A four-panel door provides access to the front range, which contains a central dividing corridor (the probable location of an earlier staircase) with rooms either side. The rooms have four-panel doors and inbuilt cupboards with plank doors. The attic above was not accessible at the time of listing assessment.

The south-east 20th-century flat-roof single-storey extension, the 20th-century pitched-roof porches to the north-east and south-east, the 20th-century lean-to shelters attached to the north-west elevation, and detached 20th and 21st-century outbuildings are not included in the listing.