The Beehive Hotel With Attached Coach House

THE BEEHIVE HOTEL WITH ATTACHED COACH HOUSE, CHELTENHAM

Three units originally (possibly an inn and two dwellings) with coach house, now operating as an inn with garages to the rear. The building dates from 1822 with later alterations made around 1870 to 1880.

The structure is constructed of stucco over brick with a tall hipped slate roof covering the right four-window range; the remainder of the roof is concealed. Five tall end and front brick stacks rise prominently from the building.

The plan consists of three cells with a narrow single-storey carriageway between the second and third cells. Originally, to the left was the men's bar with a mixed bar to the centre and probably out-sales behind it (now all one room) reached by a through corridor. To the right of this was a dining area with a staircase behind. The first floor contains bedrooms at the front with a central corridor and a room at the left end, formerly with a staircase leading to the attic (now blocked off). A large assembly room occupies the rear.

The exterior comprises two storeys with five first-floor windows. The stucco detailing includes a crowning cornice and blocking course with copings. A name panel to the first floor displays a rectangular roll-moulded surround with a raised segmental open pediment over a beehive, accompanied by the slogan "by industry we live" and masonic symbols at the angles. The ground floor has four 1/1 sash windows to the right; the first floor has 6/6 sashes, all in plain reveals with sills. To the left, a shop/pub front features central double part-glazed four-panel doors with an overlight containing an oval pane, and windows to either side with pierced decoration to the corners of the frames. A frieze and cornice sit on corbel brackets with foliate decoration. An off-centre right entrance to the passage has double part-glazed doors with margin-lights. The rear elevation has a central section set back on an iron column at ground-floor level, forming a wide porch, with four tall 6/6 sashes to the first floor.

The interior contains a front ground-floor room with two iron fireplaces featuring eared surrounds and foliage and fruit in the frieze. The bar to the left part has a quarter-circle form with a wooden lower part supported by simple Gothic columns; behind the bar is a Gothic arcade with columns supporting arches and grapes in the spandrels. A room to the rear has an entrance onto the passage with a part-glazed door and windows with glazing bars to either side, the left window curved on section. A straight-flight staircase features stick balusters and a wreathed handrail. A first-floor room to the rear has a gallery to the south side with a panelled balcony and narrow pillars above (now partly boarded in), with a narrow access staircase leading up, a deep cornice, and tooled architraves to the windows. The cellars have barrel vaults in part and retain brick shelves; they extend under the street at the front.

The earliest houses on the street are shown on Merrett's Map of 1834. The hotel was recorded as The Beehive in the 1850s census. It is reputed that wool auctions were held in the rear upper assembly room during the 19th century and was apparently used for meetings of the Freemasons during the early part of the 20th century. The coach house at the rear was damaged by fire around 1970. Montpellier Villas was originally known as Montpellier Retreat.