Listed Building record MDO11436 - Kings Arms Public House, White Cliff Mill Street, Blandford Forum

THE KING'S ARMS HOTEL, was built probably in the mid-18th century as two-storied houses, and was converted into a single property c. 1840. The smaller of the two houses, on the corner of Bryanston Street and White Cliff Mill Street, probably had a S. front of three bays, but only the W. windows remain; the wall is of English-bonded brickwork for about half the height of the ground storey, and in random bond above that level. To the W. of the S. front is a covered entry to the yard at the back; a perpendicular joint running up to the eaves from the E. abutment of its segmental arch shows that the first-floor room has been extended across the entry. The E. front of the S. house is rendered and has one sashed window centrally in the ground storey and another on the first floor. The N. house fronts White Cliff Mill Street. Its E. front is aligned with that of the S. house and since both have a common plaster revetment the division between the two fronts is indistinguishable, apart from the fact that the windows are set at different levels conforming to the rise of the ground. The entrance to the hotel, at the S. end of the E. front of the N. house, has three stone steps flanked by iron handrails; panelled pilasters flanking the doorway support scrolled bracket and a flat hood. The passage inside originally ran straight through to the yard but it is now interrupted by stairs of c. 1840 which cross it at right angles. The stairs lead to the first-floor room of the S. house, which is now the dining-room. At the W. end this room extends across the covered entry from Bryanston Street. <2-3>

<1> Ordnance Survey, 1:2500 scale, 1971 (Map). SWX1197.

(ST 88450642) Hotel

<2> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 1, 39 (Monograph). SDO146.

‘(110) THE KING'S ARMS HOTEL, No. 1, was built probably in the mid 18th century as two-storied houses, and was converted into a single property c. 1840. The smaller of the two houses, on the corner of Bryanston Street and White Cliff Mill Street, probably had a S. front of three bays, but only the W. windows remain; the wall is of English-bonded brickwork for abour half the height of the ground storey, and in random bond above that level. To the W. of the S. front is a covered entry to the yard at the back; a perpendicular joint running up to the eaves from the E. abutment of its segmental arch shows that the first-floor room has been extended across the entry. The E. front of the S. house is rendered and has one sashed window centrally in the ground storey and another on the first floor. The N. house fronts White Cliff Mill Street. Its E. front is aligned with that of the S. house and since both have a common plaster revetment the division between the two fronts is indistinguishable, apart from the fact that the windows are set at different levels conforming to the rise of the ground. The entrance to the hotel, at the S. end of the E. front of the N. house, has three stone steps flanked by iron handrails; panelled pilasters flanking the doorway support scrolled brackets and a flat hood. The passage inside originally ran straight through to the yard but it is now interrupted by stairs of c. 1840 which cross it at right angles. The stairs lead to the first-floor room of the S. house, which is now the dining-room. At the W. end this room extends across the covered entry from Bryanston Street.’

<3> DOE (HHR), 1973, DOE (HHR) Blandford Forum RD Dorset September 1973, 63 (Scheduling record). SDO17703.

<4> National Record of the Historic Environment, 205532 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Feb 24 2022 11:07AM