Church House Inn

The Church House Inn is a public house, originally a church house, likely dating from the late 16th century. It is built of whitewashed rendered stone rubble with thatched roofing, gabled at the left end and hipped at the right; a slate roof covers a block adjoining the right end, believed to be a former stable. A left-end stack and a rear lateral stack are present.

The building’s original plan comprised a single depth, with a kitchen at the left end featuring a large fireplace, a substantial stone-lined bread oven, and a high-quality moulded crossbeam - this crossbeam may be a later addition. It is possible the kitchen was initially single-storey. The centre and right end of the range are now a single large room. A 20th-century lean-to is located at the left end, with rear additions also dating to the 20th century.

The exterior presents an asymmetrical 4:3 window arrangement, with the 3 windows belonging to the converted stable on the right side. A 20th-century front door is centrally positioned, leading into a 20th-century lobby between the two main rooms. The windows are mainly 2- and 3-light timber casements with glazing bars. The block on the right has a central gable with a door to the right and an upper loft loading door. The gable contains a small-pane timber sash window and a 2-light casement.

Inside, the left-hand room contains a very large fireplace, the lintel nearly 2 meters above the floor and spanning almost the entire width of the room, with remaining roll moulding. A large stone-lined bread oven is within the left-hand jamb. The ceiling is supported by one half beam with straight cut stops and one moulded cross beam. A rounded recess adjacent to the fireplace may have been a smoking chamber or the site for a newel stair. The right-hand room features a 20th-century fireplace, potentially covering earlier features. Some re-sited 17th-century panelling is on the rear wall, along with 4 chamfered crossbeams. The roof was not inspected but is likely to be of architectural interest.