History

Known historically as the Erskine Arms. Built in the mid C19 as a public house with central entrance, it was extended to 5 bays in the second half of the C19 and was probably also heightened to 3 storeys. It is shown in its present form on the 1889 Ordnance Survey.

Exterior

A 3-storey 5-bay (grouped 2 3) public house with irregular plan on a triangular corner site. It has a narrower R end on the corner with Church Street, and rear wing behind the 2 L-hand bays. Of cream roughcast with smooth-rendered quoins, and moulded eaves cornice. Its steep slate roof is hipped to the R end, where the building is narrower. Roughcast stacks are to the L and R ends and set back from the R end. The entrance in bay 2 has pilasters that rise to brackets supporting a camber-headed canopy with keystone. The round-headed doorway has a 3-pane overlight incorporating coloured glass, and a later ribbed door with half-glazed side panels that feature etched glass. In the lower storey windows have architraves part fluted, an entablature on fluted consoles, pediments, and curly aprons. Windows are 12-pane horned sashes, except for a narrower 8-pane sash window in bay 5 (the original entrance and still shown as a doorway in an early C20 photograph). Middle and upper storey windows have smooth-rendered eared architraves and hornless sash windows, which are 12-pane in the middle storey and shorter 9-pane in the upper storey.
The splayed R end has a 12-pane hornless sash window in a pedimented architrave in the lower storey, similar to the front. The broader L end is double-gabled, and has a central 15-pane sash window in the upper storey lighting the stair.
The rear, facing Church Street, has wide gables to the R and L and a narrower recessed central gable. On the L side are two 2-pane sash windows in the lower storey, 4-pane horned and 12-pane hornless sashes in the middle storey and 2-light casement window upper R. On the L side is a cast-iron street sign. A basement opening has been boarded up. In the centre is a lean-to with inserted window. Above it is a 1st-floor 12-pane sash window and 2nd-floor sash window of 3 panes over a single replacement pane (originally a 9-pane window). An attic casement window is in the gable. The 2-window R side, effectively a rear wing, has 2-pane sashes in the ground floor, 1st-floor 12-pane sash windows and, in the 2nd floor, 2-light casement window to the R and 9-pane sash window to the L, below an attic casement.
The former No 10 Church Street is an C18 cottage built in a range with No 8 but is now part of The Malt House public house. It is a former terraced house of roughcast walls, steep slate roof and shared brick stack. Two and a half storeys, facing Church Street the 2-window front has 2-pane sash windows in the lower storey, of which the lower sash in each window has etched glass. There is no external evidence of the probable original central entrance. In the upper storey are 12-pane sashes of 4 8 panes. A single central roof dormer has 12-pane horizontal-sliding sash window.
The altered rear has an added 1-storey lean-to of the mid C20. In the upper storey are cross windows to the centre and L which are carried up above the eaves. On the R side is a 2-pane horned sash window and inserted window further R.

Interior

Modernised.

Reasons for Listing

Listed for its special architectural interest as a C19 commercial building retaining definite character, and for its group value within the historical townscape.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• The Erskine Arms official website
• Wikidata Q29483215

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)
• 
  London 1: The City of London: City of London v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: Vale and Forest of Dean Pt. 2 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
• 
  For the Record
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)