Summary
A hotel formed from the amalgamation of three buildings occupying three burgage plots, the earliest possibly being a late medieval timber-framed building that was re-fronted in the mid-C18, retaining its impressive inglenook fireplace incorporating C12 stonework, a late Medieval bressummer and C16 panelling, the other two buildings being early C19 and late C19.
Reasons for Designation
The Green Man, 13, 15 and 17 Market Street is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Date: for the early origins of 17 Market Street with its impressive inglenook fire place, substantial chimney stack and surviving timber framing elements, all thought to pre-date 1700, and additionally for the way that the building was re-fronted in the mid-C18;
* Architectural interest: (street frontage) the building illustrates changes in architectural styling from the mid-C18 re-fronted number 17, the early C19 number 15 and the late C19 number 13;
* Group value: as part of a run of listed properties along both sides of Market Street.
History
The Green Man Hotel has developed via the amalgamation of three burgage plots occupied by frontage buildings and later rear ranges which have been considerably altered and expanded in the C20. The northern-most frontage building (17 Market Street) is the earliest, possibly being late medieval in origin and said to have been re-fronted in circa 1740. Operated as an inn from at least 1823 called the Fleece or Golden Fleece, it was listed as The Fleece Hotel in Bulmer’s Directory of 1890 although marked simply as PH (public house) on the 1:500 Ordnance Survey town plan published the same year. The middle frontage building (15 Market Street) is thought to be early C19 and was amalgamated into one of its neighbours prior to circa 1960 when a photograph shows a window in place of its front entrance, an earlier photograph showing the original domestic style doorway. The southern-most frontage building (13 Market Street) is the latest as it blocks an attic window in the middle building. It was licensed as the Green Man from at least 1823, but the current building is thought to be late C19, probably being rebuilt between the 1853 and 1890 town plans (as these show changes in the building’s footprint and the position of the through-passage to the rear yard).
In 1977, The Green Man was expanded with the amalgamation of all three frontage buildings at ground floor level. The creation of the large central entrance and the conversion of The Fleece’s entrance into a window, probably date to this redevelopment. The frontage buildings were augmented by additions to the rear; that to the central building probably being the earliest (probably early to mid-C19). Through the course of the C20 the rear ranges were amalgamated to largely infill the rear plots, reducing the formerly named Green Man Yard to a passageway.
Details
Hotel, formerly three properties: 17 Market Street (formerly The Fleece), possibly late medieval origins, re-fronted mid C18; 15 Market Street, early C19; 13 Market Street (The Green Man Hotel) late C19. All with later alterations.
MATERIALS: rendered front elevation with brick stacks, Welsh slate roof to 13 Market Street, the rest being pan tiled. Rear elevations mainly obscured, but rubble limestone to 15 Market Street, brick to the remainder. 17 Market Street retains evidence of surviving timber framing elements including wall-posts, tie-beams, rails and wall-plates.
PLAN: 17 Market Street appears originally to have been a through-passage plan with the main stack backing onto the passage. The original stair position is unknown. The ground floor of the south gable has a wide opening through to 15 Market Street which has lost its original ground floor plan form and is linked through to 13 Market Street which has also been largely opened up on the ground floor.
EXTERIOR: 17 Market Street: two storeys, four bays with a large, tall ridge stack rising from the second bay from the north, this bay being blind. At the eaves there is a slightly projecting wall-plate with a simple ovolo moulding, this plate forming the lintels to the upper windows. All windows have simple projecting stone sills. The northern-most bay has a sash window off-set to the south in the place of the original door position, with slight scaring indicating the former stone door case. To its right (north) is a narrow sash window. All of the other windows are regularly proportioned and positioned, being sash windows with exposed sash boxes, set back from the wall face and fitted with replacement six-over-six pane horned sashes. Slight scaring below the ground-floor window to the southern-most bay shows the position of a blocked cellar window shown in early photographs. The roof’s ridge line is not straight suggesting that the roof structure (currently (2017) inaccessible internally) could be early in date. Much altered and extended brick-built rear range is not included in the listing.
15 Market Street: two bays, two storeys with attic, no surviving chimney stacks. Central to the ground floor is a large, traditionally styled canted bay window enlarged from a domestic scaled sash window in the mid-C20. To its right is a large double-doored entrance with a simple doorcase and projecting canopy dating to after circa 1960. The two regularly positioned first-floor windows have horned, two-over-two sashes, wedge lintels and projecting stone cills. Above are two large mid-C20 roof dormers*. Stone-built to the rear with a stone-built, gabled rear range that is encased in C20 extensions on the ground floor, these C20 additions not included in the listing, having an enlarged C20 window* to the gable at first floor.
13 Market Street: four bays, three stories with a simple attic sill band, coped gables and end stacks. At first floor level above the entrance is ironwork for a pub sign, featuring decorative scrolled bracing. Just above, are two bottonée-cruciform pattress plates (crosses with arms terminating in clover-leaf shapes) for tie bars set at second floor level. Upper windows are plate glass horned sashes. The ground floor openings have been remodelled in a relatively sympathetic manner since circa 1960: a large, traditionally detailed bow-fronted window has replaced the original central pair of domestically scaled windows; the entrance door to the right has a simple timber door case replacing a rounded canopy shown on early photographs; and to the right of this, the window to the northern-most bay now has a six-over-six pane sash window in place of the earlier plate glass sash window. The southern-most bay is occupied by a passage through to the rear. The much altered and extended brick-built rear range is not included in the listing.
INTERIOR: 17 Market Street: is the main focus of special interest internally. This includes the large inglenook fireplace on the ground floor with stone jambs and rear wall, the reveals being widely chamfered, incorporating a roll moulding, the base stones for which appearing to be reused capitals featuring three palm leafs, the moulded stonework possibly being C12. The bressummer beam is a substantial late medieval moulded timber, housings to the rear suggesting that it is a reused tie beam. Above this is a row of re-set C16 timber panels. Within the inglenook is a stone fireplace with a copper hood and an C18 hour-glass hob grate. The room that this fireplace serves extends for two full bays, the ceiling having a substantial beam that is chamfered and supports exposed hardwood joists. The original entrance passage, at the rear (north) of the inglenook, now forms toilets*, the modern partitions* and fittings* not being of special interest. The first floor is divided into two rooms divided by the massive chimney stack above the inglenook. The only period feature still evident is a small, C18 fireside cupboard on butterfly hinges within the main room.
15 Market Street: retains an early C19 closed-string staircase, possibly with surviving stick balusters behind later boarding on the upper floors, this appearing to have been re-modelled in the early C20 on the ground floor. Fireplaces and other period features have been lost with some evidence that room divisions on the upper floors have also been altered, with C20 or later partitions* not being of special interest. In the south gable wall, within the attic storey, there is an alcove marking the position of a former window blocked by the construction of 13 Market Street.
13 Market Street: the interior features* are not of special interest being largely reconfigured and refitted in the C20. Although the bar areas are panelled*, including oak joinery*, this is C20 in date.
* Pursuant to s1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’) it is declared that these aforementioned features are not of special architectural or historic interest. Furthermore, structures attached to or within the curtilage of the listed building (save those coloured blue on the map), particularly the later C19 and C20 extensions and outbuildings, are not to be treated as part of the listed building for the purposes of the Act. However it should be noted that the mapped depiction has not been produced from a detailed measured survey so should be used for indication purposes only.
