The Bell, Church Street
| The Bell, Church Street | |
|---|---|
 | |
| LL ref: | 50 |
| Start date: | c1673 |
| Architect: | unknown |
| Builder: | unknown |
| Original use: | Commercial |
| View on map: | |
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Possibly 17th Century - Antram in Buildings of England records the first mention being in 1751. By then it was a coaching inn with stables and lodgings on the journey from Hastings to London.
The ballroom with its grand Venetian window, and brewhouse were added in 1811. It was remodelled and re-fronted in 1887, when it was renamed the Bell Hotel. The public house closed in 2013 and it was converted to flats, retaining the corner saloon bar in beverage use.
The three-storied building is a key landmark in the Old Town - the upper floors are of red brick above an ashlar rendered ground floor, the first floor piano nobile has windows with elegant classical architraves , a moulded bell on the rounded street corner sits within a triangular pediment. The shallow pitched roof is slated, hipped on the corner and retaining its four chimney stacks