Bearslake Inn

Bearslake Inn

Inn, originally a farmhouse, dating from the early 16th century and considerably altered in the 17th, 19th and 20th centuries. Built from granite and local stone rubble with a thatched roof, hipped to the main block and rear wing, and gabled to the front wing. The building has two stone rubble chimney stacks—one at the gable end of the front wing and one axial to the main block—plus an axial granite ashlar stack with a tapering moulded cap to the right of the latter.

The building appears originally to have been a longhouse, though later alterations have obscured the full original plan. It comprised a shippon at the right-hand end with a passage, hall and inner room to its left. A solid wall between the shippon and passage probably rises the full height. The hall and inner room are roughly the same, small size. Originally they likely opened to the roof without chimney stacks, with a central hearth in the hall, though this lacks direct evidence. A hall stack was inserted in the late 16th or early 17th century, backing onto the passage, though its ceiling may have been added later judging from the later appearance of its beams. The inner room fireplace and ceiling were likely inserted in the early 17th century; the unusual axial position of its stack reduces the room's size. From the mid to late 17th century, substantial additions were made at the higher end of the house, comprising a two-room extension with an axial fireplace and a rear and front wing, the latter heated by a gable end stack. The order and exact purpose of these additions remain unclear, though kitchen and service uses are most likely, with the possibility that the front wing served as a parlour. Probably in the 19th century, when the demand for extra domestic accommodation declined, the rear wing and left-hand extension were converted to outbuildings. When converted to an inn in the later 20th century, the shippon became a bar and the former outbuildings were reinstated as part of the house, creating self-contained accommodation.

The building is two storeys. An asymmetrical long nine-window front features a wing projecting to the left of centre and a one-storey former shippon at the right-hand end where the roof-line drops considerably. Windows are 1, 2 and 3-light 19th and 20th century small-paned casements. A 20th century plank door stands to the left of centre in the angle between wing and main range. To its right, the wall of the main range projects slightly, with a further projection adjoining the former shippon that may originally have been a porch, now blocked. To the right of that projection is a wide opening behind which stands a 20th century part-glazed door on either side. Two doorways lead into the part of the house to the left of the wing, both with 20th century plank doors; the left-hand one is set in a pointed chamfered granite arched doorway. The irregular rear elevation features 19th and 20th century small-pane casements, with a wing projecting from the right-hand end that has a two-light chamfered granite mullion window on the ground floor. A 20th century conservatory adjoins the rear of the shippon and passage. A 20th century glazed door stands at the centre. The house is built into the ground at the right-hand end, where external steps lead to a first floor doorway. The wing also has external steps to the first floor.

Interior

The feet of insubstantial straight principal rafters are visible in some first floor rooms, suggesting 18th or 19th century roof timbers. The hall fireplace retains a high chamfered wooden lintel with apparently straight-cut stops, though a later fireplace has been inserted. The hall has insubstantial closely-spaced longitudinal beams with narrow chamfered and straight-cut stops. Leading from the hall to the inner room is an original wooden shouldered-head doorframe which is chamfered. The inner room fireplace has rough monolithic granite jambs with a chamfered wooden lintel cut off at the right end, and a cloam oven in the left side. A heavy chamfered longitudinal beam with hollow step stops is present. The front wing room has closely-spaced wany insubstantial cross beams with narrow unstopped chamfers. The gable end fireplace has roughly chamfered granite jambs with a chamfered wooden lintel obscured by a later mantelpiece. The left-hand extension, now the kitchen, has a fireplace with rough granite jambs and a cambered chamfered wooden lintel with hollow step stops, and an oven in the left side.

Despite considerable internal alterations, the house retains an unspoilt and picturesque exterior and occupies a prominent roadside position.