Moreton Hotel Including Area Railings To South

MORETONHAMPSTEAD THE SQUARE (north side), SX 7586 Moretonhampstead 8/178 No. 5, Moreton Hotel - including area railings to south GV II

House, now in use as an hotel. Circa 1840s. Rough plastered stone rubble. Pyramidal slate hipped roof with deep bracketed eaves to front and moulded cast iron gutter. Lead rolls to hips. 2 rendered brick chimneystacks on each side wall. Square double depth plan with 2 principal rooms at front and with entrance on right-hand side to passage hall which runs axially across the house with a stair well at the opposite right-hand end. The morning room, kitchen and services are int he rear rooms. The plan is not quite square, for the right-hand (east) wall narrows towards the rear because of the shape of the site. 2 storeys. Symmetrical 3-window front. 2 16-pane sashes on ground floor and 3 12- pane sashes on first floor; all with granite cills. Entrance on left-hand return, west side, at centre with wooden Tuscan doorcase with pilasters and entablature. Small 12-pane sash above. The rest of this side is blank. So is the opposite right-hand east side except for a large 18-pane stair window. 3 window rear, north side with 16-pane sashes. Centre first floor smaller 12-pane sash inserted later. C20 flat roof dormer on west side. Interior appears to be entirely intact including plaster cornices, and joinery such as panelled doors, door frames, panelled window shutters, etc. Front rooms have plain marble chimneypieces and plaster cornices, the left-hand room has plaster frieze with alternating anthemion and acanthus decoration. The hall has deep moulded plaster cornice and moulded plaster centrepiece. In well at right-hand (east) end of hall open well stairs with stick balusters and moulded handrail wreathed over thin column newel. Including area railings and gates to south with spearhead shafts. This is a good example of a circa 1840s house, having a common plan type of the period, normally used for country villas which have side entrances away from their secluded garden fronts. Here it is used in a town house to avoid entering the house directly from the street at the front. In spite of its present use as an hotel it is virtually unaltered both internally and externally. Situated in a prominent central position it makes a valuable contribution to the town.

Listing NGR: SX7534786039