The Borough Bailiff

The Borough Bailiff is a public house located on the north side of High Street in Knaresborough. It dates back to the 16th century, with a refronting in the mid-18th century and restoration in the 20th century. The building is constructed of limestone and rendered, topped with a Westmorland slate roof. It has two storeys and four bays.

The entrance features a panelled door in the second bay, which is flanked by fluted pilasters with paterae and an open triangular pediment above a fanlight with glazing bars. The windows exhibit random fenestration, including bow windows with sashes and glazing bars in the first, third, and fourth bays, as well as paired sashes and a single sash to the right of the entrance. On the first floor, from left to right, there is a 9-pane unequally-hung sash, a 3-light sash with large panes and a balcony, another 9-pane sash, and a 3-light sash. Most window frames were renewed around 1976. A fine wrought-iron balcony, featuring patterns of half circles, crosses, and scrolls, is likely part of the 18th-century refronting. The hipped roof has four stacks spaced along the ridge.

Inside, there are extensive remains of the original timber-framed structure, including a fine late-17th-century staircase at the rear of the second bay, which has turned balusters and a moulded handrail. The building underwent thorough examination during alterations in the 1930s and around 1976.