Wymmstay Arms Hotel

Location

On the corner of Yorke Street and Charles Street, prominently sited facing down High Street.

History

First recorded as an inn in 1702, rebuilt C1780, and extended with new building in early C19. The present facade is all that survives of the C18 and C19 hotel, as the entire building was demolished and rebuilt behind these facades, 1970-73.

Exterior

The earliest part of the building is the 3-storyed, 6-window range block on the corner with Charles Street together with the recessed block to right over former courtyard entry: this may be C1780. Entrance to right of centre in stressed architrave, the windows above it also stressed, with pediment over first floor. Other windows have painted stone heads with voussoirs, and brick aprons, and are 12-pane sashes (9-pane to attic storey). Cast iron balcony to first floor with Grecian motifs. Plain painted band below moulded eaves cornice. Painted angle quoins on corner with Charles Street, and curved angle to right, which links to single window range over former courtyard entry. This has segmentally arched entrance to ground floor, the windows above given emphasis by the entablature hood over the first floor window, and by the segmentally arched head of the upper window. 5-window return to Charles Street, including blocked carriage entry to the left.

The 3-window range to the right of the original block, stepped down the slope of Yorke Street, represents an early C19 extension of the hotel. It balances the original building, with a curved corner adjoining the former courtyard entrance, and by using similar detail, in the eaves cornice, for example. Its fenestration is to a different pattern however, with round-arched lower openings, and a tripartite sash window across the curved corner; upper windows have moulded architraves and continuous sill bands.

Reason for designation

Although only the facades of the original hotel buildings survive, thay are of exceptional architectural quality, and the building makes an important contribution to the group of commercial buildings on High Street.