Summary
A late-C18 public house, extended in the C19 and C20.
Reasons for Designation
The White Horse Inn, Milford on Sea, a late-C18 public house, extended in the C19 and C20, is listed at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* the C18/C19 elements of the inn largely retain their form, including the exterior walls, representative fenestration, two chimney stacks, an element of the roof structure, and its clay-tiled covering;
* despite modernisation and opening up of the ground floor, the existence of the two bar rooms remain legible including evidence of a former off-sales facility, an increasingly rare feature.
Historical interest:
* as a legible late C18 inn, extended in the C19 and C20, which is illustrative of the evolution of public houses during this period.
Group value:
* with the nearby Grade II-listed Smugglers Inn (Crown Inn) which also dates from the late C18.
History
During the C18, the high street of Milford on Sea was formalised from Milford Bridge, eastward towards Carrington Farm, and contemporary church warden accounts identify the White Horse Inn from 1776. The Tithe Map of 1840 shows a long narrow building to the front of a deep plot with a series of irregular projections to the rear. The first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1868 identifies a shallow extension to the west side and further structures to the west and south of the extension, and to the south-east corner of the building. The 1897 edition shows a deeper, more regular western extension with rear projection; the 1908 edition is similar but the rear projection is wider. C20 map progression shows little change until 1984 when the existing ground-floor rear extension is evident. At the east end of the building there is also a C20, covered walkway.
A historic image from around 1930 shows an off-sales shop front to the east end with Mew, Langton & Co Ltd signage. The brewery originated around 1643 on the Isle of Wight and probably owned the inn up to around 1965, when they merged with Whitbread Wessex. The image also shows an integral ground-floor garage to the west end. Both of these features have been replaced with windows. Two chimney stacks towards the centre of the roof are also shown but they have been removed, possibly coinciding with the replacement of the stairs. Internally, the main bar room has been opened up to the rear and the stairs have been replaced. As of 2020, the inn is now closed and boarded-up.
Details
A late-C18 public house, extended in the C19 and C20.
MATERIALS: painted brickwork in Sussex bond, under a clay-tiled roof.
PLAN: the inn is broadly rectangular and faces north onto the roadway. The main entrance is located towards the centre of the building, and there are north and south entrances to a covered passageway to the east end, a side entrance to the west end and a central, rear entrance from the garden. Internally, the ground floor is largely open-plan to the west side, extending through the original rear wall into the C20 extension and toilets. There is a lobby off the main entrance leading to the stairs and to the east side there is a secondary bar room (former off-sales), which has a function room and cellar behind, both of which are located within the C20 extension. The first floor has a spine corridor serving bedrooms, bathrooms and a kitchen.
EXTERIOR: the inn is two-storey and the roof is gable-ended to the east end where there is an external gable stack, and half-hipped to the west where there is a brick ridge stack. The principal north elevation, facing the road, has seven bays; a four-bay C18 building to the east side with a two-bay, two-storey C19 extension to the west, and a single-bay, single-storey C20 extension further to the east. The C18 section of the building is characterised by regular, flush, multi-paned sash windows with timber cills and flat arches, under a brick eaves cornice. It has a tripartite, C20, multi-paned window to the ground floor (replacing a pair of off-sales shop doors and flanking windows), which stands between pilasters with applied decorative panels, and under a moulded cornice. The main entrance is towards the centre and has a solid timber entrance door of around C19 date, patterned with nail studs and hung on decorative strapwork hinges. It stands under a shallow, flat hood and is flanked by wall-mounted coach lamps. Above, there is a C20 pub sign, fixed to the brickwork. The C19 extension is slightly set-back, and has regular, recessed, multi-paned, horned sash windows on stone or moulded cills under a brick eaves cornice. The C20, flat-roofed, single-storey extension to the east end has a C20, solid timber door which imitates the design of the main entrance door.
The western end of the C19 extension has two, multi-paned, horned sash windows and a glazed, timber entrance door under a flat hood. At ground floor level there is a truncated external stack and a C20 pub sign is fixed to the brickwork above. A single storey late-C19/early C20 extension runs south from the rear of the west end of the C19 extension, initially with a pitched-roof and casement windows, extending to a long, flat-roofed, C20 section. The central element of rear elevation is set back and is formed of flat-roofed, C20 ground-floor extensions with irregular glazing. The flat-roofed C20 rear extensions do not add to the special interest of the inn. The first floor of the earlier building is visible above and has irregular uPVC casement windows. The east end of the C18 building is blind.
INTERIOR: the main entrance lobby has a flagstone floor. To the west side, the C20, timber bar-counter and bar-back have brick detailing, and are located to the east side of the open-plan, L-shaped main bar room. The original doors, architraves and fire surrounds have been removed. The western fireplace has a C20 brick surround and the walls and ceilings have faux timber framing. Two sections of the original rear wall of the C19 extension support the C20 rear extension. The former off-sales is located to the east of the lobby and has a C20 bar counter, which incorporates earlier components (fielded paneling and console brackets) that appear to date from the later C19 or early C20. The ceiling beams appear to have been replaced with steel, covered over with a C20 timber fascia. The bar-back, cupboards and doors are all C20, as is the brick built fireplace surround. The rooms to the C20 rear extension are functional with faux timber framing. The dog-leg stairs are C20 and lead to a landing with access to three functional rooms to the east end and a spine corridor running west, giving access to bedrooms, bathrooms and a kitchen. A bathroom located in the C19 extension has an exposed brick wall in Sussex bond which is formed by the former external wall of the C18 building. The wall also shows evidence of the roof line of a former, lower extension. All the first floor fixtures and fittings are late-C20, and the original doors, architraves and fire surrounds have been removed. The C20 fixtures and fittings across the interior (with the exception of the later C19/early C20 off-sales counter components), do not add to the special interest of the inn.
Within the roof, the common rafters are supported by purlins and collars with iron fixings, and meet at a ridge-board. Most of the rafters are doubled-up and machine cut. Vestigial evidence of the former end wall of the C18 building is evident at its join with the C19 extension.
