History

Hotel, early C19 in origin, remodelled in mid C19, said to be in 1856. The front is the dominant feature in the approach to Pembroke across the Mill Bridge. The inn is said have been built as the New Inn c. 1800 by the Orielton estate and changed its name to the Golden Lion (the Owen of Orielton crest) by 1817. It was auctioned in the Orielton estate sale of 1857 as the Lion Hotel and Posting House and then had thirteen bedrooms, two closets, dining and drawing rooms, parlour, commercial farmers' room, two sitting rooms, ... stabling for 21 horses, two coach houses and a piggery. John Jones was the landlord.
The Lion was one of the principal inns of the town from the early C19 (with the Green Dragon). There was coach access through to the rear from a blocked arch in the front wall. The porch is earlier C19 with tooled stone piers under later stucco detail, and the lion above may be of Coade stone. The later C19 stucco detail of the top windows is repeated on No 5 adjoining. Nos. 3 and 5 were part of the hotel in the C20, with the ballroom in No 5.
Said to have cellars, possibly vaulted, but not seen on inspection. There was a side wall of vaulted outbuilding at the S end of the plot, photographed in 1979, but this was detached from main building.

Exterior

Hotel, painted roughcast with stucco, imitation slate to deep eaved roof, carried on mid C19 shaped brackets. Brick end stacks. Three storeys, three bays with 4-pane later C19 sashes in shaped stuccoed surrounds with painted sills on small sill brackets. Upper floor has eared surrounds with rounded inner corners and quadrant inner moulding. Outer first floor windows have cambered headed surrounds, shouldered, with keystones, under a curved hoodmould with neo-Grec acroterial ornaments. Ground floor has outer windows not aligned, right hand sash in thin moulded cambered-headed surround with keystone, aligned slightly inward of windows above. Left hand has big window of 8-panes (replacing a vehicular entry), with cambered head, stucco voussoirs and keystone. Door to right was a window matching that to right of porch.
Just right of centre is main entry in big two-storey porch. Recessed arched doorway with 6-panel door, brass lion mask and plain fanlight, up four stone steps. Stuccoed porch projects across pavement, arched on three sides, with square painted stone piers, moulded caps and bases. Stucco string course above with lion masks at angles under cast-iron C19 balustrade. Above is a big timber mid C19 square glazed bay of three long lights to front, two to each side, stucco moulded brackets, cornice and parapet surmounted by gold-painted recumbent lion. Balcony ironwork has twisted short shafts and urn finials, and panels of scroll work with lion masks.
Rear has large rear SW wing to left with brick end stack, then lower three-storey range with side wall and S end stack and finally a low two-storey range on S end. Windows mostly altered, various additions on E courtyard side.

Interior

Ground floor altered. Stairs on left behind front left room, lower part altered, open well to upper floors with straight string and square balusters. Renewed square newels. One long room to first floor front, ceiling with plastered beams dividing it into 4 panels.

Reasons for Listing

Included for its special interest as a substantial inn of late Georgian origins with good quality later porch and front alterations, prominent in view up from the bridge.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29485607

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

• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability
• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)