The Close Hotel

The Close Hotel is a former large town house that has been converted into a hotel. It dates from the late 16th century to the mid 17th century. The building is constructed of rubble stone with quoins on a tall plinth, featuring a Cotswold stone slate roof at the front, slate at the back, and concrete tiles in the inner well. There are scattered ashlar stacks with cylindrical flues, both singly and in pairs, which have moulded cornices and roll "off-set" details, as well as one large brick stack at the rear.

The structure is a large double range with an inner well on the right side and stands three storeys high. It has four windows, including canted and embattled two-storey bays at each end, which contain five-light stone hollow-moulded mullion and transom iron casements. Between these bays are two three-light mullion and transom windows, all with relieving arches above and a continuous dripmould. The ground floor mirrors this design, featuring a central doorcase accessed by three steps. The doorcase has a square frame with plain jambs and a semi-circular moulded soffit, with double wooden doors likely from the late 19th century that have applied wood mouldings shaped to fit the semi-circular soffit when closed.

On the second floor, there are four three-light stone mullions, each with square hoodmoulds, positioned below coped gables with finials, and decorative 19th-century rainwater heads are located between the gables. The rear garden facade is made of ashlar and has four rendered gables, along with a central three-storey embattled canted porch bay that features two attached columns. The first and ground floors have 12-pane sash windows, while the second floor has two-light stone mullions. A large late 19th-century single-storey canted bay is present on the left side, and there is a moulded oculus on the right gable.

Inside, there are two fine rooms at the rear with plaster ceilings and 18th-century fireplaces, along with much remaining joinery and panelling throughout. The inner well has been glazed in the 19th century and now serves as a central lobby with a coved ceiling and a central glazed skylight.