Description

MORETONHAMPSTEAD THE SQUARE (north side),
SX 7586
Moretonhampstead
8/178 No. 5, Moreton Hotel
- including area railings to south
GV II

House, now in use as an hotel. Circa 1840s. Rough plastered stone rubble.
Pyramidal slate hipped roof with deep bracketed eaves to front and moulded cast
iron gutter. Lead rolls to hips. 2 rendered brick chimneystacks on each side
wall.
Square double depth plan with 2 principal rooms at front and with entrance on
right-hand side to passage hall which runs axially across the house with a stair
well at the opposite right-hand end. The morning room, kitchen and services are
int he rear rooms. The plan is not quite square, for the right-hand (east) wall
narrows towards the rear because of the shape of the site.
2 storeys. Symmetrical 3-window front. 2 16-pane sashes on ground floor and 3 12-
pane sashes on first floor; all with granite cills. Entrance on left-hand return,
west side, at centre with wooden Tuscan doorcase with pilasters and entablature.
Small 12-pane sash above. The rest of this side is blank. So is the opposite
right-hand east side except for a large 18-pane stair window. 3 window rear, north
side with 16-pane sashes. Centre first floor smaller 12-pane sash inserted later.
C20 flat roof dormer on west side.
Interior appears to be entirely intact including plaster cornices, and joinery such
as panelled doors, door frames, panelled window shutters, etc. Front rooms have
plain marble chimneypieces and plaster cornices, the left-hand room has plaster
frieze with alternating anthemion and acanthus decoration. The hall has deep
moulded plaster cornice and moulded plaster centrepiece. In well at right-hand
(east) end of hall open well stairs with stick balusters and moulded handrail
wreathed over thin column newel.
Including area railings and gates to south with spearhead shafts.
This is a good example of a circa 1840s house, having a common plan type of the
period, normally used for country villas which have side entrances away from their
secluded garden fronts. Here it is used in a town house to avoid entering the
house directly from the street at the front.
In spite of its present use as an hotel it is virtually unaltered both internally
and externally. Situated in a prominent central position it makes a valuable
contribution to the town.

Listing NGR: SX7534786039

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26493629

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments