MDE20984 - Crown Hotel, Queen Street, Lynton (Building)

Hotel, formerly separate properties. c1760, with early C19 elements. Rendered or whitewashed rubble, slate roofs. PLAN: the whole forms an irregular T-plan, with a courtyard to the N and E. The main building is a long gabled range facing N, and lying well back from Market Street, which takes a right-angled turn at this point. To the right of this range is a small lower block, abutting on Sinai Hill, and linked to and brought forward near the junction between these two, and partially enclosing the forecourt is a third. The building referred to as Crown Stores in the previous list is no longer part of the hotel, and is not included. EXTERIOR: main range in 3 storeys, with 7 windows, mainly 2-light wood casements with transom, and with horizontal glazing bars. At second floor are 7 thus, above 3 similar and 2 wider and later casements, and a final small square light adjacent to the return link. The ground floor has a 2-light, then C19 6-panel door under a painted-in radial fanlight, 3 pairs of French doors, with horizontal glazing bars, and a 2-light, then the returned link. The left end is hipped. One ridge and one gable stack, each in late brickwork. The rear has two 3-light half-dormers flanking a wide stone stack at the eaves to the original rear wall, and similar brick stack near the E end, which also has a narrow hipped one-bay wing with a 16-pane sash under 2-light casements. The 2-storey range adjoining Sinai Hill has a splayed corner with a 2-light small-pane casement above a pair of doors with shallow transom light. The main front has an early 2-light small-pane casement and a blind opening above C20 windows set in pilasters with caps carrying a fascia with small cornice mould, returned also to the splay. The gable end has a small stack, but is otherwise plain; a VR postbox is built into this wall. The range at right angles (The Pantry) was formerly a symmetrical 2-storey 3-window house, but it now has 2 good 9-pane sashes and a later 2-light casement at first floor, above 2-lights flanking a canted glazed porch with hipped slate roof; the windows to the right of centre have been moved inward to allow construction of a full-height corridor with C20 door. The rear is plain. The link to the main range includes a glazed corridor at the upper level. INTERIOR: the main range only was inspected. There has been considerable modification to the interior, but at the Sinai Hill end is a section with low ceilings, otherwise the ground floor has little historical evidence; there is one wide lateral beam near the centre of the range. At first floor is a landing to a rear exit; here are 2 flat segmental-arched openings on panelled pilasters. An upper stair is a tight winder, with a simple stick balustrade to an upper landing, with turned newel. Although altered in the C19, this is in origin one of the earlier buildings in Lynton. [1] Interior of main range only inspected. Considerable modification has occurred, but at the Sinai Hill end is a section with low ceilings. There is one wide lateral beam near centre of range. Although altered in 19th Century this is in origin one of the earlier buildings in Lynton. [2] In 1790, The Crown was the only hostelry in Lynton and was described as "small and insufficient". It is an extensive irregular T-shaped range which lies well back from Market Street, and with the slate-hung lower block abutting Sinai Hill. It dates from c.1760 but with some early 19th Century remodelling. A six-panel door has a radial fanlight over. There are mainly timber casement windows with three pairs of French doors having horizontal glazing bars. The Sinai Hill frontage retains two early nine-pane sash windows to the first floor. The 2002 Conservation Area appraisal states "the Crown Hotel forecourt on private land is considered an important element in the revitalisation of this part of Lynton, and in creating an increasingly welcoming pedestrian environment." [3] It is not clear to what extent the hotel now incorporates fabric to the north that has been subsumed from the market buildings (MEM22375). Buildings on the general alignment of the present northern wing are shown on the 1st and 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey maps and particularly appear to be part of the market on the 2nd Edition. [4-6] This structure appears to be visible on the 1840 Lynton Tithe map. [7] The Crown Hotel appeared in an illustration dated 1859. [8] The house and walls were visited in April 2012 as part of the rapid condition survey of Exmoor's Listed Buildings 2012-13. The building received a BAR score of 6. [9] The building is mentioned in the 2019 Conservation Area Appraisal for Lynton. The report mentions that it has a Victorian post box built into the wall. [10] The building was assessed as part of the 2018-19 rapid condition survey of Exmoor’s Listed Buildings, receiving a BAR score of 6. [11]