The Pheasant Inn

The Pheasant Inn is a coaching inn dating from the later 18th century, later given an inter-war refit and extended in subsequent periods. It stands adjacent to an historic road on the west side of Lake Bassenthwaite.

The building is constructed of stone, rendered with dressings picked out in black paint, and finished with a graduated Lakeland slate roof. The rear elevation is mostly unrendered, showing local stone with pink dressings. The plan is L-shaped, comprising a linear east-west range with a projecting wing at its west end and a central rear projection. The original east-west range has a double-pile plan.

The main north elevation is two storeys and presents ten bays, comprising nine two-light and one single-light first floor window, each light fitted with a nine-pane casement window frame. The ground floor contains eight similar windows. The building is topped by pitched and hipped roofs with a pair of tall, corniced chimney stacks.

The left return, or east elevation, features a three-light ground floor window. Above this sits a timber pub sign depicting a pheasant, set beneath a timber hood mould. External stone steps lead to a first-floor entrance, with a six-over-six horned sash window to its right. A four-bay range with a hipped slate roof projects north from the west end of the east-west range. The east elevation of this projecting range displays four first floor windows with two-over-two and six-over-six horned sashes, and three similar windows to the ground floor; these ground floor windows were inserted when the motor garage formerly occupying this space was removed. To the right is an integral arched passage (now blocked), with a pub sign depicting a pheasant above, and a wide arched carriage opening (blocked with an inserted window). A set of external stone stairs access a first floor opening on the north elevation. The right return, or west elevation, contains seven first floor windows, six ground floor windows and an arched passage entrance.

The rear, or south elevation, is partly rendered local stone and displays a very irregular ridge line with a chimney stack similar to those of the main elevation. It carries regular fenestration to both floors, mostly with eight-over-eight sash windows. Two single-storey pitched roof extensions occupy the centre of the elevation, with a corner infill extension. The lower blocks forming the south-west corner and the single-storey south-east WC block are early 21st-century extensions.

The interior begins with a vestibule containing original six-panel doors within fluted architraves to either end, with similar doors in architraves to rooms off to the right and left. The room accessed on the left retains a picture rail and chimney piece. The entrance passage opens into an east-west side-passage with an historic post box inserted into its north wall. A small bar adjoins this passage, separated from it by a timber and glazed partition with a two-part glazed hatch inscribed 'waiters only', a pair of glazed panels, and a bell push. An original four-panelled door provides access to the bar interior, which retains its early 20th-century finishes, fixtures and fittings. The bar is divided by a wide, depressed arch with a panelled soffit and timber keystone into two parts: a relatively small area in front of the panelled bar counter and, behind the arch, a larger space for drinkers and diners. The walls feature a panelled dado, with the upper walls and ceiling plastered and heavily lacquered, or perhaps lined with lacquered leather. On the inside of the arch sits an early gas fire possibly dating from the 1930s, with a long thin mirror on the other side and light fittings to either side. The bar counter and bar back remain in situ, complete with original hand pumps. The remainder of the ground floor interior to the right of the bar and entrance passage is currently partially gutted and stripped back to stone, though all original exposed first floor beams are retained. The former carriage passage with its arched entrance is also visible within the north end of the north projecting range. An original staircase, featuring a newel post and stick balusters and lit by a large stair window within a fluted surround, provides access to the upper floor. The first floor retains an historic floor plan of a spinal east-west corridor with rooms off to either side. Some rooms preserve heavy six-panel doors, and whilst interiors have been mostly stripped back to stonework, the lower parts of the original roof structure are exposed and retained, as is the remainder of the roof structure above.