The West Arms Hotel

The West Arms Hotel

This is a long-range hotel building facing east, with advanced gabled bays to the left and centre, and a deep roof over a single-storey right-hand bay. The building is two storeys or one-storey-with-attics, constructed of whitewashed rubble stone under steeply pitched slate-covered roofs. Stone chimney stacks are positioned at the left end, right of centre, and right end; the right-hand stack is external with a brick shaft.

The windows throughout are 2- or 3-light casements with small panes, set under segmental brick heads. The gabled bays each have 2 windows on the ground floor, while the range to the right has 3 windows. The front entrance is positioned on the right-hand side of the central gabled bay, featuring a 20th-century part-lit boarded door beneath an open gabled wooden porch with cusped bargeboard and part-trellis sides. To its left is a 3-light iron casement window, with 2 similar windows to the upper storey. A wrought iron sign bracket with scrollwork is fixed to the gable, bearing the sign "The West Arms". The left gable has 2 by 3-light iron casements to the ground floor and a single similar window with a flat head to the upper storey. The right-hand section has a 3-light wooden casement, with a pair of 2-light wooden casements beyond.

The north (right-hand) gable end features a canted projection for a fireplace, relating to the external stack. To the left of the stack is a 20th-century 2-light casement to the attic storey. Different floor levels to the right of the stack include a 16-pane sash under a segmental brick head to the ground floor and a small multi-pane window above. A shute to the basement has a segmental brick head.

The south (left-hand) gable end of the range has a 2-light wooden casement with small panes and timber lintel to the far left of the attic storey. A short rear wing continues to its left. The rear of the building includes several large 20th-century extensions, comprising a large flat-roofed range running south from the short rear wing and linking with a former outbuilding, possibly a granary and/or stable. This is a low 2-storey range of rubble stone with large quoins and hipped slate-covered roof, now altered.

Internally, the front entrance leads into a reception room with a ceiling containing 2 deeply chamfered cross-beams with cut stops and small joists. A large fireplace to the right has a 20th-century mantelpiece. To its right is a boarded door leading into a lounge with a fireplace to the north end; the ceiling has a cross-beam with small chamfer and is otherwise plastered, with a large cambered timber lintel. To the left of the front entrance is the dining room, with a large fireplace to its south end featuring a chamfered timber lintel. The ceiling has a stop-chamfered cross-beam towards the south end, with chamfered joists with ogee stops between this beam and the fireplace. A second, replaced cross-beam is positioned towards the north of the room. The room features panelled doors and panelled window seats. Kitchens are located to the rear of the dining room.

Also leading left from the reception area is a curved staircase, inserted beneath a substantial tie-beam truss. An arched head has been cut into the tie beam. The truss contains a collar, raked struts and box panels, whilst the partition below contains a possible former doorway. The floor levels may have been lowered. The bedroom containing most of this truss has a small stone fireplace with lintel; the purlins are probably later. Two trusses further north have been partly truncated by the passage leading to the bedrooms. Beyond them is a back staircase leading to a northwest ground floor room, which has beam sockets in the east wall and a niche with lintel. This room is accessed from the reception area.