The Mermaid Inn

Summary

Inn with attached accommodation, late-C18 or early-C19, altered to form a large roadhouse inn in the early-C20. Further altered in the late-C20.

Reasons for Designation

The Mermaid Inn, a late-C18 or early-C19 public house with later alterations, is listed for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:
* the principal range of the building has a classically proportioned, symmetrical façade with good quality detailing including classical door surrounds to the west and east and flat stone voussoirs;
* despite some alteration to the interior, the building retains an early-C19 winder stair and decorative plasterwork.

Historic interest:
* the building’s link to the former Surfleet brewery (now demolished) is of interest, and the building remains an important link to the village’s brewing heritage, with a possible tap room to the rear helping to demonstrate the development of the public house over the course of the C18 and C19.

History

Little is known about the early history of the Mermaid Inn, but it has been suggested that an inn has existed on the site as early as the early-C18. The building was advertised for sale in a local newspaper of 1810 along with sixty acres of arable and pasture land and associated farm buildings. By the mid-C19 the inn had become associated with Surfleet Brewery, which had been constructed to the south and west of the inn. As part of the establishment of a brewery on site, a new frontage to the public house was constructed, fronting Gosberton Road to its east. It is likely that the new range was constructed as a domestic dwelling for use of the proprietors, with the attached inn located to the north fronting Stockhouse Lane. An earlier single-storey range to the rear of the public house, of likely C18 date has been suggested to be a tap room and has been retained during the public house’s alteration and rebuilding during the C19.

During the early-C20 the dwelling and inn were knocked together to create a large public house with the building rebranded as a ‘roadhouse’ inn. The sale of the site in 1938 describes a substantial inn with three public rooms, eight bedrooms, car parking and tea and pleasure gardens. By the mid-C20 Surfleet Brewery has ceased production, with the demolition of the buildings taking place soon after. In the late-C20 the building was updated with a replacement bar and was decorated throughout with replacement doors and fittings.

Details

Inn with attached accommodation, late-C18 or early-C19, altered to form a large roadhouse inn in the early-C20. Further altered in the late-C20.

MATERIALS: constructed of brick with stone dressings under both clay-tile and slate roofs.

PLAN: the public house’s principal range is a linear building oriented north-south and runs parallel with Gosberton Road. At its north ends is an attached, L-shape range oriented west-east with a former stable range projecting to the north at its west end. To the rear of the public house, projecting to the west, is an earlier, single-storey range.

EXTERIOR: the Mermaid Inn’s principal, early-C19 frontage faces Gosberton Road to the east, and is constructed of brick in Flemish bond with stone dressings. This range has a hipped roof covered in clay tiles. The building is two storeys, arranged over five bays, and has a central entrance door with classical surround with Tuscan columns supporting an entablature above. Ground floor windows are six-over-six panes while the first floor has three-over-six, set within flat stone voussoirs with keystones. All windows are sash and case, now with timber double-glazed fenestration following the original glazing patterns, wtih timber frames under stone flat arches. The building continues to the north and west along Stockhouse Lane with a perpendicular range, also brick, with the gable facing onto Gosberton Road painted and with an end stack. The north elevation of the building has a variety of roof styles, all covered in slate. The range perpendicular to Gosberton Road is L-shaped and has an attached large, single-storey former stable range running to the north. There is a small C20 hipped-roof extension at the junction of the L-shaped range, with French doors to the pub’s garden. The projecting brick stable range is constructed in English garden wall bond, with a hipped slate roof.
The west elevation of the building has at its centre a small single-storey painted brick building with cellar below, suggested to have originally been a tap room. This range has a gable facing west with a brick parapet, a tiled roof and truncated brick stack at its west end. To the right is the public house’s rear entrance with a classical surround including an entablature supported by pilasters, panelled ingoes and an early flush-panelled door. The elevation has a decorative stair window under a brick semi-circular arch situated on the first floor above the possible tap room. To the right is a series of openings on the ground and first floor, under brick segmental arches, all contain modern sash windows. To the left of the possible tap room is the west elevation of the L-shaped range which has been altered and has irregular fenestration with one ground-floor entrance bricked up and an inserted window. To the left (north) is a timber late-C20 addition attached to the former stable range to the east.

INTERIOR: the interior has been largely modernised with the plan form altered and modern partitions inserted. An early-C19 winder stair with a steeply-pitched timber rail and stick balusters survives at the north end of the south range and continues up to the first floor to a large landing. The stair has an open string with curved tread ends. A late-C20 bar is situated in the south range with the building’s front door on the east wall. The door architrave survives, although the door is nailed shut and has shelves inserted. In the right-hand range is a dining room with modern fittings. To the rear, in the former stable range, are the kitchens with two wide elliptical brick arches visible on the rear (west) wall, now partially infilled and elliptically arched doorway. The suggested tap room to the rear of the public house contains a fireplace at its west end with a C19 surround.

On the first-floor landing there is a decorative plaster cornice of possible early-C19 date. Other plaster decorations in this room are later additions. The rest of the first floor of the public house contains a series of bedrooms which have been modernised throughout in the late-C20 with modern doors and finishes.

Sources

Books and journals
Harris, John, Pevsner, Nikolaus, Antram, Nicholas, The Buildings of England: Lincolnshire, (2002), p. 685

Other
The Lincoln, Rutland and Stamford Mercury Friday 31 August 1810
Lincolnshire Standard 1938

End of official list entry

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