The Golden Fleece Hotel

The Golden Fleece Hotel is a hotel consisting of two buildings located on the south side of Thirsk Market Place. Number 42 is likely a 16th-century hall house that has undergone alterations in the 17th and 18th centuries, with the upper end rebuilt and a top storey added after 1815. The building features a mix of timber framing and brown brick, topped with a slate roof. It stands three storeys high with a symmetrical facade and a central entrance. The wooden doorcase has pilasters and a large flat hood with a dentilled cornice, leading to a round-headed doorway. On either side, there are canted bays with sash windows that have glazing bars. The first floor boasts two large tripartite sash windows with flush moulded cases and shallow segmental arched heads, their cills forming a continuous band. A wrought iron sign bracket is also present. The second floor has three 16-pane sash windows.

Number 44 dates from the late 18th or early 19th century and is constructed of brown brick with a slate roof that has a shallower pitch than that of Number 42, featuring stone verges and kneelers. It is taller and narrower than Number 42 and has a three-storey canted bay with arched sash windows that display Gothick glazing in groups of three, with a taller central light. The cills of these windows also form continuous bands. There is a carriageway to the left of the building.

Inside Number 42, some timber is exposed, including an inglenook beam. The front room to the right of the entrance features a 17th-century ceiling divided into square panels by raised borders. In Number 44, the ground floor sash window has a fixed light. A 20th-century extension at the rear is not included in the listing. The Golden Fleece Hotel was a famous posting inn.