NHER 5754 (Building record) - Thomas Paine Hotel (formerly Grey Gables)

April 1951. Listed, Grade II.
Listing Description:
Thomas Paine Hotel (formerly known as Grey Gables), White Hart Street.
4 houses, now hotel. 18th century. Internally unified mid 20th century and again 1974 to form hotel. North front with 2 late 18th century flint and clunch houses under gabled pantiled roofs. Whitewashed. Various sash windows with glazing bars light ground and first floors. To west is a first-floor projecting window. Flat-topped dormer to east house. To White Hart Street an addition dated 1832. Cut flint with gault brick dressings under a slate roof. 2 storeys in 3 bays. 4-panelled central door with overlight and a hood on console brackets. One 10/10 unhorned sash left and right and 3 6/6 unhorned sashes to first floor. Gabled roof with internal gable-end stack to north. Datestone in north gable head: 1832. To south is a large late 19th century addition of brick with concrete tile roofs. 2 gabled ranges with a projecting centre gable with the main doorway. Sashes without glazing bars. Gabled roofs with gault brick stacks.
INTERIOR: first-floor west room retains a brick fireplace with chamfered jambs. Chamfered and tongue-stopped bridging beams scattered throughout interior. In 1832 range are re-used 17th century sunk-quadrant bridging beams with one fillet. 19th century staircase with turned balusters and moulded handrail. Thomas Paine (1737-1809) born on or near this site.
Information from (S1).

1973. Casual Find.
A 17th century pot surrounded by clay smoking pipes was found under the floor during renovation work at Grey Gables. The building is being converted into a 14-bedroom hotel, to open in mid-1975.
The pot has been identified as a brown glazed handled pipkin, no feet, 16th/17th century.
Colour photos NCM.
See (S2) for further details.
E. Rose (NAU).

April 2010.
The hotel is due to undergo complete refurbishment,
see (S3) for further details,
H. White, (NLA), 22 April 2010