The Shakespeare Public House

The Shakespeare Public House is a pair of attached houses built in 1725 by John Strahan, located on Prince Street in Bristol. Constructed from limestone ashlar with brick party wall stacks and a pantile roof, these buildings exhibit an early Georgian style and feature a double-depth plan. Each house has three storeys and a four-window range. The symmetrical fronts are highlighted by a central pedimented two-window range that is set forward, with a banded ground floor, rusticated pilasters, a first-floor plat band, a frieze, a cornice, and a parapet.

The outer doorways are semicircular-arched and located beside the central section, adorned with floating cornices, keys, and imposts, as well as fanlights and six-panel doors. The middle windows on the ground floor have semicircular arches with keys and incised voussoirs, while the remaining windows feature keyed segmental heads and architraves, with six-over-six pane sashes. The pediment showcases elaborate heraldic cartouches representing the original families.

Inside, No. 68 retains much of its original character, including a fully-panelled entrance hall and ground-floor rooms, separated by a framed wall with an elliptical arch. The rear dogleg stair has ramped wainscot, a curtail, column-on-vase balusters, column newels, and a ramped toadback rail, with an uncut string leading to the attic. The doors feature four fielded panels and panelled shutters.