The Bear Inn

SO 9006 BISLEY-WITH-LYPIATT GEORGE STREET, Bisley Village (south side)

13/65 The Bear Inn

28.6.60

GV II*

Formerly courthouse and assembly room, now inn. Early C17; early C18 east end; early C19 additions. Random rubble and ashlar limestone; ashlar and artificial stone chimneys; stone slate roof. Two-storey with attic main east-west range; cross wing to east end; 2 gabled additions to north side. East front: 4-bay colonnade to ground floor, open except for one bay to right. Ashlar columns have simple moulded capitals supporting timber lintel. Horizontally sliding sashes with glazing bars to wall behind colonnade, doorway to right part having C17 moulded frame and plank door. Three 18-pane upper floor sashes with moulded stone architraves. Single off-centre gabled roof dormer with lead- latticed casement. Roof hipped on north east corner only. North side: large gabled projection is C19, reset doorway having ogee- arched stone lintel and plank door. Three-light chamfered mullioned casement above; plain chamfered cap to gable-mounted chimney. Earlier gable wing adjoins immediately to left with single 2-light chamfered mullioned casement to each floor, that to attic now blocked. Chamfered cap to off-centre gable-mounted chimney. Blocked doorway above ground level to small gabled projection to left, this possibly originally forming a stair turret. Single-storey outbuilding attached at west end. South side: part gabled in ashlar with cross window to ground floor, 2- light chamfered mullioned attic casement to upper floor and attic, all with hoodmoulds. Gable end of east cross wing projects forward to right. Interior: 2 very large fireplaces with monolithic stone slab jambs and timber lintels. The manor court is recorded as meeting at The Bear between 1766 and 1838, the village lock-up (q.v.) being conveniently situated on opposite side of road. (N.M. Herbert, 'Bisley' in V.C.H. Glos xi, 1976, pp 4-40; and M.A. Rudd, Historical Records of Bisley with Lypiatt, 1937)

Listing NGR: SO9031506054