The Five Arches Public House

Cadw's description

Location

Situated on the NE corner of the junction of St George's Street and Upper Frog Street.

History

Public house, the former George Inn, probably with medieval core, but rebuilt in earlier C19 and much altered in C20. No George Inn listed in 1844 directory, but Butchers' Arms and King's Arms listed apart from the Three Mariners. The blocked four-centred blocked stone doorway is said to be inserted, brought from an old windmill, now demolished (1977 list).

Exterior

Public house, street facades in painted stucco with raised parapet. Slate hipped roof with rendered ridge stack. Three-bay S front with 3 sash windows on first floor, spaced one to left, 2 to right. Left window is over ground floor pair of 12-pane sashes (late C20, replacing shop-window) and boarded cellar entry. To right, the blocked medieval four-centred arched doorway, and then an arched window in a square-headed doorframe. Late C20 glazing. Under the right pair of windows is a fascia and cornice between console brackets, over a 12-pane window and 2 doors with 6-pane overlight (replacing the C19 shopfront noted in 1977).
Left end wall to Upper Frog Street has a small 12-pane sash to each floor left and blank opening between. To right, ground floor has similar C20 fascia and cornice over a pair of 12-pane sashes and a half-glazed door with 6-pane overlight. There was in 1977 a modern shop front here. Short stuccoed chimney on N end wall, to right of an altered C17 external chimneybreast, visible from churchyard. C20 flat-roofed additions to rear of main range.

Interior

Interior largely modernised, large stone fireplace with stone-voussoirs to arched head in east-facing party wall between the rear ranges.

Reason for designation

Included as a restored late Georgian facade on an important corner site, with some medieval to early modern surviving features.