The French Horn Public House

Reasons for Designation

The French Horn Public House in Worksop, Nottinghamshire is designated for Group Value for the following principal reasons:

* The building has a well-preserved exterior which exemplifies the high quality of the best public house designs of the early C20.

* The faience decoration of the public house display frontage is of high quality, and incorporates both complex mouldings and integral lettering within an ornamented fascia.

* The building exterior is little altered and retains almost all of the original architectural detailing, joinery, decorative glass and other items of external ornament which are such significant constituent elements of the original design.

* The building is prominently sited within the centre of Worksop, and has a strong visual relationship with other listed buildings on both sides of Potter Street, including the former Corn Exchange, now the Town Hall.

* The building replaced an earlier public house on the same site and thus re-inforces the historic nature of the locality and the character and appearance of the Conservation Area within which it is sited.

Details

400/0/10012

POTTER STREET (North side)
15, The French Horn Hotel

25-FEB-08

II
Public House. 1906 with late C20 internal alterations. Built for the Sheffield brewers Hooson Bros. by Frederick Hopkinson.

MATERIALS: red brick with terracotta and faience dressings, banding and decoration, tall brick chimneys with moulded cappings, and a tile roof covering with crested ridges and elaborate finials to gablets.

PLAN: L-shaped plan, the principal elevation to Potter Street, returned at the east end, and extending northwards in plainer form as a service range.

EXTERIOR: the principal (south) elevation is of five bays and three storeys, the east end bay angled as the building returns northwards at the east end for a further three bays at three storeys. It then continues at a lower two storey height for a further three bays. The ground floor is formed of an elaborate and highly decorative display frontage faced in dark and light green faience manufactured by Bermantofts (Messrs Wilcox and Co,) of Leeds. It is set upon a low brown-tiled plinth, and comprises a series of wide, shallow arch-headed windows rising from a base of rectangular panels. The three- and four- light windows are separated by panelled pilasters with elaborately-decorated capitals which terminate at a moulded cornice at the head of a fascia of light coloured faience. The upper lights are glazed with decorative stained glass panels. The front elevation is asymmetrical, with two window bays to the west of a narrow entrance bay, and a further window bay and a narrower angled corner bay. The entrance bay is flanked by pilasters, and has a keyed oval overlight above the door opening, surmounted by a massive scrolled pediment. The fascia extend through the bay below the pediment, and carries lettering which reads 'HOTEL' The flanking sections of fascia lettering complete the building's name, but sequentially they read 'FRENCH/ HOTEL/HORN'. The faience-clad return bays include a secondary entrance detailed in matching style to the main entrance.

The first floor has terracotta horizontal banding extending through the pilasters and enclosed brick panels, with a series of two-light cross windows incorporating-arch headed upper lights with decorative stained glass. The angled bay has a canted oriel window above which is a decorative cartouche set within a set-back gablet .The upper floor is comprised of a series of gablets with decorative bargeboards, set above paired 2 over 2-light sash windows separated by moulded terracotta mullions. Each entrance bay is distinguished by a decorative terracotta cartouche, with swags and shell finials to the head of flanking pilasters. The inscription above the main entrance reads ' REBUILT A.D. 1906, that above the secondary entrance reads '1906' The remaining bays of the return range are plainly detailed, but the most northerly bays have wide arch-headed window openings.

INTERIOR: not inspected, but external views confirm that the interior had been remodelled to create a mainly open-plan interior, in which few original fixtures and fittings appear to have been retained. The bar counter, back bar and other interior elements appear to be contemporary with the remodelling.

HISTORY: the present building replaced an earlier public house of the same name, which in 1906 was said to have been a public house for 130 years, and possibly a malthouse before that date. It stood gable end to the road, with a saddlers shop to the west. The site of both buildings were used for the new building, giving the 1906 French Horn a long display frontage to Potter Street.

Listed in part for Group Value with the Town Hall (item 7/113), No.10 Potter Street (items 7/115 and 7/116) and Nos.23, 23a, 25 and 27 Potter Street (item 8/106).

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION
The French Horn Public House in Worksop, Nottinghamshire is listed for Group Value for the following principal reasons:

* The building has a well-preserved exterior which exemplifies the high quality of the best public house designs of the early C20.

* The faience decoration of the public house display frontage is of high quality, and incorporates both complex mouldings and integral lettering within an ornamented fascia.

* The building exterior is little altered and retains almost all of the original architectural detailing, joinery, decorative glass and other items of external ornament which are such significant constituent elements of the original design.

* The building is prominently sited within the centre of Worksop, and has a strong visual relationship with other listed buildings on both sides of Potter Street, including the former Corn Exchange, now the Town Hall.

* The building replaced an earlier public house on the same site and thus re-inforces the historic nature of the locality and the character and appearance of the Conservation Area within which it is sited.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

502732

Legacy System:

LBS

End of official list entry

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