Description

TEWKESBURY

SO8933 HIGH STREET
859-1/5/216 (West side)
04/03/52 No.52
Tudor Hotel

GV II*

Hotel, formerly large private house. Mid C16 front block,
internally remodelled and wings built in early C17,
alterations early and mid C18, refaced late C19. Close-studded
braced timber-framing with plastered panels, some brickwork,
tile roofs, brick stacks.
PLAN: a lofty but shallow front block with narrow central
lobby has single-depth room right and left, with early C17
staircase to the left, and an extended mid-C18 staircase
centrally. To the right, in the wing, is a large panelled room
"...suggestive of a hall..."(VCH). This block was refronted to
the street in brickwork in 1701, and further refronted in
'applied' timber framing in the late C19. 2 long wings were
added early in the C17 at the back, enclosing a narrow
courtyard; that to the left extended in brickwork in the later
C18.
At the rear of the wing to the right, returned from it at
right angles, is a brick and tile C19 service block with its
gable to Red Lane: this, with the wing encloses a small
courtyard contained by a wall with gateway (qv).
EXTERIOR: the street block is 3 storeys, attic and basement,
5-windowed. The windows are all 2-light leaded casements with
a transom, in moulded architraves with a simple wood cill.
To the left of the central entry are 2 basement openings in a
high rendered plinth; one of these is a recessed-chamfer
stone-mullioned casement. C18 six-panelled fielded door in
panelled reveals, on 2 steps has a deep projecting segmental
hood with moulded edge over a frieze, carried on 2 slender
wooden Doric columns to high stone pedestals, the whole
forming a porte-cochere over the pavement.
Weathered moulded wood string courses above ground and
first-floor windows, returned to the right gable, and above
the central first-floor window is a moulded broken pediment.
The prominent modillion eaves cornice returns to the hipped
end, right. 4 lead down-pipes with decorative hopper-heads
carrying the date 1701 are flush with the wall face, having
been set to the earlier brick front. Brick stacks at the left
gable and to rear of hipped end. The right-hand end has a
2-light gabled dormer with moulded barges and eaves, with two
2-light transomd leaded casements at second floor. A very
small light at first floor is above a 6-panel fielded door in
a moulded architrave.
The 2-storey lower wing, flush with the gable end, is in
square panel framing with painted brick. A continuous run of
ten 2-light leaded casements under a moulded eaves is above
one very large 5+5-light casement with 2 transoms, far left at
the ground floor. To its right is an early studded plank door
in an ovolo-mould surround, with a smaller door and light
beyond. There is a very large brick ridge stack near the right
end.
From the end of this wing a 2-storey brick and tile service
wing projects to a gabled end in Red Lane. This has a 2-light
opening above a square loading door and a pair of plank
carriage doors to a segmental brick head, and a 6-pane
casement to its left.
The long wall includes a blank brick panel with a haunched
arch, above a fine plank and nail-head door with an attached
light, flanked by a 6-pane casement each side. At the back the
central gable of 3, with 2 small lights, is above a large
24-pane sash with brick arched head having 3 keys, in a brick
wall brought forward from the plane of the gable, with a
leaded flat roof.
The wings, both framed, have various windows; that to the
right has 2 wide gables, has 3-light casements, and a canted
flat-roofed bay with 8:12:8-pane sashes. The outer end is
extended in brickwork, with a full-height bow in header bricks
to a parapet and hipped roof. The bow has three 12-pane sashes
above 3 small 2-light casements, and in the left return are 2
arched openings with doors.
In the left wing is a 6-panel fielded door on steps and under
a hood on carved brackets, and a further door at ground level,
and an outer gable rebuilt in brick.
INTERIOR: the early front block has a narrow central lobby,
with a single room each side. That to the left has full-height
C17 panelling, including window reveals, and a 4-compartment
joisted ceiling with a very heavy central beam; the fireplace
is a C20 replacement. To the right, the room is sub-divided,
but retains C18 painted fielded panelling.
A wide elliptical moulded arch with 5 keys and panelled
pilasters leads to the main staircase, probably of c1740. This
is a fine stair with 3 slender turned balusters to each tread,
with scrolled ends, a swept and wreathed handrail, and fielded
dado panelling. The ground floor ceiling has a heavy cornice
with egg-and-dart moulding, and the upper ceiling, which is
almost square has a fine modillion cornice.
2 further embellished elliptical openings to the ground floor;
that to the left gives to the compartment with a C17 dogleg
stair with heavy moulded string, balusters, and moulded
handrail to square newels with ball finials and drops. This
stair is contained at each level in an open framework of
jointed timber members, and one panel is filled with woven
hazel laths, and a 'flying landing' at the top level. A flight
descends to the basement, which has, to the rear, a large
compartment with brick walls and a wide segmental brick vault
on a neat stone-flagged floor. To the right, at a lower level,
is the so-called Court Room, a lofty hall-like space, with C17
panelling to two-thirds height, central chamfered beam, and
broad plank external door to the garden courtyard.
The first-floor main landing also has elliptical openings
similar to those below, but on fluted pilasters.
At the junction with the wing to the right, running through
the 2 upper floors, is an C18 winder stair with painted solid
string, plain square newels, turned balusters, some of these
twisted, and moulded handrail. A further C18 straight-flight
painted staircase in the right wing.
There are many C17 eight-panel doors, and some C18
fielded-panel doors throughout the building, and sections of
heavy timber-framing, including very large chamfered beams.
Above the Court Room is a smaller room with very low joisted
ceiling in 4 compartments, and a wide fireplace with plain
stone surround and brick insert with cast-iron oven doors. A
front window at second floor level has scratched graffiti,
including 'Mary Burston March 17th 1604', again 'Mary Burston
1796', and 'John Oliver'; 'Oliver Cromwell' is also neatly
scratched on the same pane.
This is an unusually grand building, retaining more early
fabric and fittings than usual.
HISTORICAL NOTE: originally a large private house, became a
Court of Justice during James I's reign, and from 1712 to 1719
was used as a Presbyterian Academy; this is recorded on a
Civic Society plaque on the front, which also notes that the
Academy founder was Samuel Janes, and that Thomas Secker,
Archbishop of Canterbury, was a pupil. A framed document
hanging in the staircase records that Thomas Kemble bought the
property from Elizabeth Warkman and others in 1740 for »350; a
lead cistern in the courtyard dated 1741 and inscribed K above
T M, presumably refers to Kemble, who died in 1776.
The building figures as the Mayor's house in 'John Halifax,
Gentleman', and more recently was the home of John Moore
(1907-67), author of 'Portrait of Elmbury' (1947).
In the small courtyard to the north is a lead cistern dated
1741, with intials TMK, probably for Thomas Kemble (d. 1776).
At this date also it is probable that the gazebo (qv) was
built (see Red Lane).
(Victoria County History: Gloucestershire: London: 1968-:
131).

Listing NGR: SO8936533048

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17539288

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Liverpool: Pevsner City Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)