The King's Head PH

The King's Head Public House is a 17th-century building featuring rendered and painted walls with rusticated quoins and a Welsh slate roof. It stands three storeys tall with an attic, two gables, and five windows. The ground floor includes two shallow bow windows and a central porch supported by two plain columns over the pavement. The bow windows contain triple 6 over 6 pane sashes, while a small 4 over 4 sash is located to the right. The next two floors have 6 over 6 sashes with keyed heads and a decorative band between them. The gutter is supported by timber brackets, and the gables display half-timbering and plain bargeboards, with a spike finial on the left gable. Each gable features a 3 + 3 pane casement window.

The rear elevation, which can be seen from St. John's Street, shows that the buildings are constructed in the ditch of the castle's outer bailey, resulting in an additional understorey on this side. The King's Head has a three-bay elevation with giant Tuscan pilasters flanking triple sashes on two floors, with sidelights—one of which is blind on the left—and further flanking pilasters. There is also a small triple sash in the attic entablature.

Inside, the layout consists of a complex mix of interconnecting spaces with low lighting and varying floor levels. The two front rooms and the entrance lobby have survived from the previous hotel. The staircase has been completely altered, as access to the upper floors is now through the hotel in the former No. 7. The rear room features a likely late 17th-century plaster ceiling with a roundel of painted fruit and a central Tudor rose, which appears to be a later addition. Above the fireplace, there is a painted relief plaster panel depicting a portrait of Charles II, believed to have been installed as a memorial around 1670. The crowned figure is shown in full face, flanked by the initials C R and primitive vases of roses. Another notable aspect is the steep descent to the rear garden, indicating that the hotel was built in the town ditch and has a significant understorey at the back. The upper floors are not visible but are part of The King's Head Hotel and are accessed from No. 7.