The Coachman Inn (EHER 28783)

Listed as The Coachman Inn. A timber framed house which comprises a two-storey 15th century main range and a two-storey 16th century cross-wing, with single-storey 18th, 19th and 20th century extensions at the rear. A free-standing outbuilding is located immediately SE of the inn. It has been a documented inn since the early 17th century and there was a recorded smiths forge at the site from 1400 well into the 17th century. The smith may have operated from an outbuilding.

(TL 8643 2873) George Hotel (NAT). <1> June 1962. Grade II listed. The Coachman Inn (Formerly listed as The George Inn under High Street). Wrongly shown on OS map as George Hotel. House, now public house. 15th, 16th and 17th century, altered in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. RCHM 18. Grade II (see list for details). <2> George Hotel, on south side of road, 130 yards N.E. of (17), was built probably in the 16th century and has a cross-wing at the west end. <3> July 2016. Heritage assessment. Oxford House is a Grade II listed timber framed house which comprises a two-storey 15th century main range, aligned NW-SE, and a two-storey 16th century cross-wing, aligned NE-SW with single-storey 18th, 19th and 20th century extensions at the rear. A free-standing outbuilding is located immediately SE of the inn. The earliest rental of the building plot was to a blacksmith, John Sigg, in 1400. The manorial records refer to the site as ‘Smiths Forge’ well into the 17th century, after the 15th-century date of the surviving structure, so it seems extremely likely that a forge continued to operate from the site after the hall was constructed, possibly on the site of the outbuilding. It has been a documented inn since the early 17th century and may have been used for this purpose from the 16th century. The building has most recently been known as ‘Oxford House’ but prior to this it had a short-lived existence under the name of 'The Carved Angel', was called 'The Coachman Inn' during the 1990s (and is listed as such) and before this was known as 'The George' from 1671. The main range and cross-wing are of oak construction and an 18th century extension projecting from the North end of the cross wing is also of oak build. Nineteenth century lean-to extensions spanning the full length of the frontage and the cross-wing are brick built and painted white. The brickwork at the North end is curved, presumably to provide protection from cart wheels as the building’s corner is directly on the road. There are several chimney stacks, each of a different date from the late 18th to early 20th centuries. Both the main range and the cross-wing have gabled roofs covered in peg-tiles, as does the lean-to extension, although an earlier (if not original) covering was slate. The main range and the cross-wing have white-painted rusticated render which was highly fashionable around 1780, and likely applied when the roof was rebuilt. Internally, the main range has been altered, probably in the mid to late 20th century, to create a large open-plan space. In doing so, much of the timber framing has been removed or repositioned to replicate the missing studwork, and it is apparent that there have been modern attempts to recreate a medieval look for the building. Elsewhere, there is extensive evidence of 18th to 20th century renovations, some of which have jeopardised the stability of the structure, and include both structural and cosmetic alterations. The floor of the 16th century cross-wing and 18th century brick extension is lower than that of the main range and 19th century extension. The outbuilding. The free-standing 20th century outbuilding is a single-storey timber framed building clad in weatherboard and with one gable end replaced by Fletton brickwork. The roof covering of corrugated asbestos sheeting is obviously 20th-century and the three sets of double doors in the NW elevation are formed from smaller doors sourced from other structures and held on a variety of mismatched hinges. It comprises three bays, the Northernmost of which is an earlier structure, originally split into two stalls for stabling livestock. This is reinforced by the presence of tethering rings attached to the studs and drainage channels in the floor. The remaining two bays have a concrete floor and modern roof. <4> Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import.