Tudor Hotel

Details

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

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

376799

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Page, W, The Victoria History of the County of Gloucester, (1968), 131

End of official list entry

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