Crown Hotel

Large inn of three-and-a-half-storeys. Of rendered brick and rubble construction with timber-framed origins; medium-steep slate roofs with central chimney. The facade has a 3-bay symmetrical main section with a single bay advanced at right-angles to the L. The ground floor has stucco rustication and the windows all have moulded stucco surrounds, those to the ground and first floors with consoles supporting moulded labels; raised stucco quoins. Central entrance with open wooden porch supported on simple Tuscan columns; deeply-recessed 6-panel door with panelled reveals. Large plain Victorian sashes flank this on the ground floor, with three plain casement windows with marginal glazing. The second floor has early C19 unhorned 15-pane sashes, with blind framed rectangular panels in between. The returned bay, on the L, has tripartite windows with glazing as before to the first 2 floors, and a 15-pane sash to the second floor. The roof has hipped dormers corresponding to the bays, with sashes having plain-glazed lower and small-pane upper sections. The gable end of the returned bay, advanced into the square, has plain bargeboards and a finial which apparently correspond to the creasing of a formerly adjoining lower building.

The public bar has a lateral beam with mortising evidence for a former post-and-panel partition. Large central brick chimney breast with later fireplace bressummer (now an alcove). In the room to the rear of the public bar are ogee stopped-chamfered ceiling beams of second-quarter C17 character. In a hallway to the L of the bar is a straight-flight stair to the first floor. This was created in the C19 from second-quarter C17 elements which originally formed a well stair; square newel with S-carved relief decoration to the front and flat, shaped and pierced balusters; geometric finials. The stair continues to the top floor with some further reused elements though mostly C19 copying the original. The first floor rear has a C19 addition with 3-bay function room having (bizarrely) braced king post trusses.