History

Late C18 inn altered in early C20. An early drawing shows a plain three-storey, five bay front with the centre three bays slightly advanced. All the stucco detail, architraves etc is earlier C20, not shown in c. 1910 photograph. The porch is altered late C18 with delicate columns probably of Bath stone, and modillion cornice. The cornice has been altered with added supports and a pulvinated frieze has gone. There was a brewery and warehouse range to the right, now demolished, used in the mid to later C20 as the Little Theatre.
Large late C20 rear block in matching style.

Exterior

Hotel, painted roughcast with stucco dressings and slate roof with brick end-wall stacks. Three storeys, five- window range, with centre three bays advanced. Dentilled eaves. Quoins to outer angles and to upper floors of centre bays. Moulded string course at first floor sill level and smaller one at second floor sill level. Upper floors are roughcast, ground floor is stuccoed. Windows have moulded architraves and hornless sashes: 6-pane to attic, 12-pane to first floor, and 16-pane to ground floor. Ground floor has windows to outer and centre bays, doorway to centre left, through-way to centre right. Keystones to ground floor architraves and to outer first floor windows, aprons under sills of outer upper windows. Doorway has wide flush-panelled door, in Ionic porch with two painted stone columns and pilaster responds, entablature with frieze and modillion cornice. Columns have finely carved capitals, responds have moulded bases, capitals with egg-and-dart and bead-and-reel mouldings. Through-way has moulded surround, walls each side within are timber-framed with painted brick, a 6-panel door on right into N end room. Above first floor windows 'Hotel Mariners' in large stuccoed capitals, and between centre windows are wreathed round plaques with 'RAC' and 'AA'. Windowless end walls.
To left is lower extension of two storeys and six bays, stuccoed below roughcast, and close-eaved slate roof. Two halves, right part has two 12-pane hornless sashes above (with winged wheel plaque: ' BRTA Approved Hotel' between) over raised band and ground floor plate glass sashes to right and centre. Left has a square projecting bay with C19 6-pane fixed glazing to front, 2-pane to right side, against end of projection on left part. Above the upper windows are the words "Hotel Mariners Estd 1625". Left part, up slope, has windows set higher, first floor plate glass sash each side of a window with pair of small boarded doors. Ground floor flat-roofed projection with two large square 6-pane windows (left one renewed in uPVC), one each side of former door now with 2-light similar window, and a 4-pane sash to far right, in former door.
To rear SW of main range is three-storey rear wing, roughcast with full-height lean-to in angle, then three-bay range with some 16-pane sashes. Attached beyond is a late C20 large addition with half-hipped roof. Three storeys, six bays, matching front range, stucco below, roughcast above with quoins and large lettering 'Hotel Mariners Estd 1625'.
To rear NW is a narrow court enclosed by a high rubble wall with flat coping ramped up at ends, a large section removed to allow view of the C20 rear addition. Both remaining sections have lean-tos on inner S side, painted rubble stone on E of break, lightweight timber frame with painted brick to W.

Interior

Interior ground floor altered.

Reasons for Listing

Included for its special architectural interest as a substantial coaching-inn of late Georgian date.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29490447

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

• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)