The Kings Arms is a Grade II listed building in the Wiltshire local planning authority area, England. First listed on 4 July 1985. Inn. 6 related planning applications.
The Kings Arms
- WRENN ID
- woven-timber-grain
- Grade
- II
- Local Planning Authority
- Wiltshire
- Constituency
- Salisbury MP: John Glen (Con)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 4 July 1985
- Type
- Inn
- Address
- The Kings Arms, 9, High Street, Downton, SP5 3PG
- OS grid reference
- SU 180 215
- Coordinates
- 50.9928, -1.74354
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The Kings Arms is an inn dating from the 15th century, featuring timber-framed ranges with an original roof. The south front was refaced in the mid-18th century, while the west front was refaced in the late 18th century. The timber frame is faced in Flemish bond brick, and the building has a hipped tiled roof with brick stacks. It is arranged in an L-plan with a through passage and is two stories high with seven windows.
On the right side, there is a chamfered door surround with a Tudor arch and a tiled canopy, accompanied by one six-pane sash window. To the left, there are five six-pane sashes and one blind window, all with segmental heads. The first floor features six six-pane sashes and one blind window. The ground floor brickwork has a scratched date reading "WL 1746."
The left return has a central six-panelled door with a flat wooden hood supported by brackets. To the right of this door is a segmental-headed tripartite sash, while to the left are inserted double planked doors. The first floor on this side has two six-pane sashes and one blind window, with a scratched date of "MD 1765" on the brick to the left of the door.
At the rear, there are two projecting wings, with the right wing featuring a half-hipped roof. The central range includes two planked doors and two two-light casements on the first floor. The left wing has two-light and three-light casements on the ground floor and a half-dormer in the attic, along with a verandah that has a slate roof. Attached to the rear left is a single-storey extension with two-light casements and a slate roof.
Inside, the east range has chamfered ceiling beams, and some timber framing remains on the ground floor east wall and on the first floors of the west and north walls. The roof trusses have cambered tie-beams with pairs of 'V' struts supporting the collars.
Local climate
The Kings Arms receives an average of 780 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 61% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 64% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 28 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 69% of listed buildings. Of these, 11 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
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- Full EPC report — heating system, energy costs, size, glazing, construction etc.
- No sale records on file
- Related listed building consents — 6 applications
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.
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