Former Burns' Head public house

39 Whitefriargate, Hull, HU1 2HN

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Overview

Former public house, now (2022) a shop, 1884, by Robert Clamp of Hull, with C20 and C21 alterations.
Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II
List Entry Number:
1297022
Date first listed:
21-Jan-1994
List Entry Name:
Former Burns' Head public house
Statutory Address:
39 Whitefriargate, Hull, HU1 2HN
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Date:
2007-09-27
Reference:
IOE01/16957/28
Rights:
© Mr Les Waby. Source: Historic England Archive

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II
List Entry Number:
1297022
Date first listed:
21-Jan-1994
Date of most recent amendment:
30-Jun-2022
List Entry Name:
Former Burns' Head public house
Statutory Address 1:
39 Whitefriargate, Hull, HU1 2HN

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:
39 Whitefriargate, Hull, HU1 2HN

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:
City of Kingston upon Hull (Unitary Authority)
Parish:
Non Civil Parish
National Grid Reference:
TA0976228726

Summary

Former public house, now (2022) a shop, 1884, by Robert Clamp of Hull, with C20 and C21 alterations.

Reasons for Designation

The former Burns' Head Public House, 39 Whitefriargate, 1884 by Robert Clamp of Hull, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* for its good quality neo-Baroque principal elevation on one of the principal shopping streets in Hull;
* as an attractive example of the work of Robert Clamp of Hull.

Group value:

* the building is one of a range of listed buildings on Whitefriargate and stands in close proximity to the scheduled monument of Beverley Gate and adjacent archaeological remains, which together combine to impart the historical character of this part of Hull Old Town.

History

The former Burns' Head public house, an old-established dram shop, existed on this site from at least the early C19 with a tap room, spirit cellar, ale cellar, house above and tenements behind. Following the death of its former owner, Mr James Hodgson, in 1882 it was advertised for sale and subsequently demolished and re-built. The new building was completed around 1884 to designs by Robert Clamp of Hull and first appears in the 1:500 1889-90 Town Plan of Kingston-Upon-Hull. Robert Clamp (1834-1907), architect and surveyor, established an architectural practice in Hull between 1874 and 1903 and designed a range of buildings in Hull, which also included the former Colonial & United States Mortgage Company office building (number 67 Whitefriargate). Clamp is attributed to have been a principal assistant to William Botterill. This building remained as a licensed public house, and as a hotel, until its sale at auction in 1925. It was described at the time of sale as including four floors with 12 rooms, bath, WCs, cellars and yard. The premises were then adapted to shops, with the ground-floor becoming shop premises, the first-floor storage and facilities and the upper floors self-contained apartments. The ground floor has been altered in the C20 and C21.

Details

Former public house, now a shop, 1884, by Robert Clamp of Hull, with C20 and C21 alterations. Neo-baroque style.

(Formerly listed as 39 WHITEFRIARGATE)

MATERIALS: stucco, slate roof.

PLAN: polygonal on plan.

EXTERIOR: the three-storey building, plus attics, has a stuccoed two-bay main (south) elevation facing Whitefriargate. The ground floor has a late-C20 shop front under a modern fascia. Above, on the first floor, are two keystone window surrounds with moulded cornices and straight and ornamented triangular pediments, both with late-C20 windows. Between the windows is an ornamented round-arched niche with shell finialled hoodmould and scrolled sill brackets. The windows are flanked by a pair of panelled and ornamented pilasters, with Corinthian capitals and fruit swag drops, and support a moulded cornice which forms projecting sills to the windows above, which are again decorated with ribboned floral swags. The two second-floor windows have moulded, eared and scroll shouldered surrounds under swan-neck pediments, decorated with swags, and with C20 two-light casements. Flanking the windows are two partially reeded end pilasters, with bas relief capitals, supporting a projecting moulded egg-and-dart cornice resting on fluted brackets. The attic storey has two dormers which rise from the second-floor cornice, each with a segmental headed window with a moulded, scrolled and keystone surround and two-light early-C20 casement. The windows are flanked by large elaborate volutes, with sculpted fruit clusters, and a short broken moulded cornice which supports two elaborate scroll shouldered and shaped gables, each terminated by a moulded and finialled shell pediment and centrally supported by a central scrolled and ornamented bracket. The building has a pitched roof, a tall coped and panelled west end chimney stack and two dormers.

INTERIOR: a range of fixtures and fittings are said to survive in situ on the upper floors.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:
387846
Legacy System:
LBS

Sources

Other
Hull Daily Mail Tuesday 15 September 1925
Hull History Centre, C DPM/30/169, The Burns Head Whitefriargate, 1907

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.

Ordnance survey map of Former Burns' Head public house

Map

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 12-Jun-2026 at 10:48:27.

Download a full scale map (PDF)
© Crown copyright [and database rights] 2026. OS AC0000815036. Use of this mapping is subject to Terms and Conditions.

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

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