Moreton Hotel Including Area Railings to South

This is a house, now used as a hotel, dating to the 1840s, located on the north side of The Square in Moretonhampstead. The building is constructed of roughly plastered stone rubble with a pyramidal slate hipped roof. The front has deep, bracketed eaves and a moulded cast iron gutter with lead rolls to the hips. There are two rendered brick chimney stacks on each side wall.

The building has a square, double-depth plan with two main rooms at the front, accessible via a passage hall with a stairwell at the far end. Behind these rooms are a morning room, kitchen, and service areas. The east wall narrows towards the rear due to the shape of the site. The building is two stories high and has a symmetrical three-window front. The ground floor has two 16-pane sashes, and the first floor has three 12-pane sashes, all with granite cills. An entrance is located on the west side, with a wooden Tuscan doorcase featuring pilasters and an entablature, and a small 12-pane sash above. The east side is largely blank, except for a large 18-pane stair window. The rear, north side has three windows with 16-pane sashes; a smaller, later inserted 12-pane sash is at the centre of the first floor. A 20th-century flat roof dormer is on the west side.

The interior appears largely intact, retaining plaster cornices, panelled doors, door frames, window shutters, and joinery. The front rooms have plain marble chimney pieces and plaster cornices; the left-hand room has a plaster frieze with alternating anthemion and acanthus decoration. The hall features a deep moulded plaster cornice and centrepiece. The open-well staircase at the right-hand (east) end of the hall has stick balusters and a moulded handrail, with a wreathed design over a thin column newel.

The property includes area railings and gates to the south with spearhead shafts. This example demonstrates a common plan type from the 1840s, typically used for country villas with side entrances to avoid direct access from the street. Despite its current use as a hotel, the building remains virtually unaltered internally and externally. It occupies a prominent central position and contributes significantly to the town’s character.