Sailors' Return Public House

Cadw's description

Location

Fronting the street in a block of buildings between Rating Row and Wexham Street.

History

Built in the late C18 or early C19 and shown on the 1829 town plan and 1889 Ordnance Survey as a public house (No 40 to the R) and a house (No 42 to the L). No 42 was a draper's shop in 1910. They were later amalgamated into a single public house.

Exterior

A public house amalgamating two 2-storey houses, of which the L-hand is higher, of whitened pebble-dashed walls with smooth-rendered architraves painted black, slate roofs and 3 roughcast stacks. On the 2-window R-hand side is a ribbed replacement door, 6-pane horned sash windows in the lower storey, larger to the R, and similar 4-pane windows in the upper storey. On the 3-window L-hand side the entrance is offset to the R of centre, and has a replacement ribbed door. It has paired 6-pane horned sashes to the R, a similar but larger single sash window to the L and, in the upper storey, 4-pane sashes to the centre and L, and an oriel window to the R with 2-pane sash.

The rear has a large 1-storey projection.

Interior

Modernised interior.

Reason for designation

Listed for its special architectural interest as a public house formed from 2 small houses retaining definite C19 character, and for its contribution to the historical integrity of Church Street.