Fleur-de-lys public house, Pilley, Hampshire

Summary

The Fleur-de-lys public house is a two-bay end chimneystack house of late C16 or early C17, mainly in painted brick with thatched roof, extended to the east in the C18 and to the west in the early C20.

Description

Public house. The central two bays are late C16 or early C17, the eastern bay was added in the C18, the western bay was added in the early C20. The later C20 extensions to the south are not of special interest.

MATERIALS: Mainly of brick in English bond, now painted, but some stone rubble is visible internally. Thatched roof with three ridge brick chimneystacks.

PLAN: A two-bay end chimneystack house, extended to the east by an additional bay and outbuilding and subsequently to the west by a further bay.

EXTERIOR: The front or north elevation has four eyebrow dormers; the two western dormers have horizontally-sliding sash windows, the others are casement windows. The ground-floor windows are late C19 or early C20 wooden casement windows. There are two iron ties between the lower and upper floors, one S-shaped. Below the penultimate dormer to the east is the main entrance through a wide half-glazed door under a late C19 gabled wooden porch with thatched roof. This entrance is flanked by diagonal buttresses. The western bay has an early C20 entrance with half-glazed door flanked by side-lights under a flat moulded wooden weather hood, which is supported on curved wooden brackets. The east elevation has a casement window in the gable end. The west elevation has one casement on the ground and attic floors and two further ground-floor casements in the late C20 toilet extension. The south or rear elevation is wider than the north side to the east where there is an outshot but it has a C20 flat-roofed extension. To the west the toilet block is thatched over three C20 windows.

INTERIOR: Entrance through the original eastern entrance leads into a passage with stone flagged floor, thin wall framing to an internal partition and two older close-studded timbers embedded in a wooden soleplate. The western wall of the passage follows a formerly external chimneystack and a curved section retains a stoke hole near the floor, probably for fuelling a breadoven. The large central bar has a large open fireplace with cambered wooden bressumer with two inch chamfer with lamb's tongue stop at the southern end and the hearth has English bond brickwork, some C16. Immediately to the west of this is an axial beam with a two inch chamfer and lambs tongue stops. The other ceiling beams in this bar, spine or axial, are of C20 date but may contain earlier beams which have been boxed in. Some stone rubble is visible in the north wall. A C20 straight flight staircase leads up by the original south external wall and adjoining this is a C20 bar counter inserted into the original south wall. Behind the central bar is a former lean-to outshot with a raking strut and several thick rafters visible. There is a ledged plank door in the south wall. The eastern bar has a further open fireplace of C18 date with wooden bressumer with runout stop and one inch chamfer. Some of the brickwork was renewed in the C20. Immediately north of the fireplace is a cupboard door leading to a wooden half-winder staircase and a ledged plank door on the upper floor. The western bar has a boarded ceiling with beaded edge and central spine beam, and the western wall has a partition of thin scantling. The western bar has a C20 bar counter and an imported spine beam. The cellar is situated at ground level in the former outbuilding to the east.

History

The name of this inn, 'Fleur de Lys', is thought to have derived from a C13 window (since destroyed) in the C13 parish church of Boldre which showed a coat of arms of the Dauphin of France. The inn contains a list of landlords going back to Benjamin Stones in 1498, but although the foundations may date from this time the part above ground is of C16 or early C17 date. Ananias Hale (landlord from 1654-1668) appears in the Boldre Church Marriage Register in 1654. Nathan Proul, landlord between 1770 and 1793, appears here in 1725 and Thomas Talke, landlord between 1793-1796, appears in 1735. Benjamin Young was the owner occupier in 1809. John Young was shown as being at the Fleur de Lys on or round 1817 and the premises were described as an Ale House. The building is shown on the 1868 Ordnance Survey map as the Fleur de Lis Inn. By the 1897 edition the building has acquired a porch.

Reasons for Listing

The Fleur-de-lys public house, dating from the late C16, extended in the C18 and with lounge bar added in the early C20, is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural merit: a vernacular building, constructed of English bond brickwork and some stone rubble with thatched roof, dating from the late C16 with C18 and early C20 extensions.
* Interiors: includes two open fireplaces, a winder staircase in a cupboard, some close-studding and ceiling beams.
* Intactness: survives substantially intact with a significant amount of original fabric.

External Links

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