Summary
Two houses, constructed during the late-C18, combined and converted to an inn by 1856, extensively remodelled and converted back into two properties in 1986-1988, now with commercial premises on the ground floor.
History
Grantham was a settlement of considerable size by the time of the Norman invasion, with the Domesday book (1086) recording a population of over a thousand. The town’s name is listed under its current spelling in Domesday, and is believed to be of Old English origin, combining ‘Granta’ and ‘ham’ (Granta’s manor). The town lies on the Roman Great North Road (Ermine Street) from London to York, which has brought commerce and travellers seeking accommodation throughout the town’s history. The north-south road (London Road-High Street-Watergate-North Street) remains the central spine of the town’s urban plan. Notwithstanding the importance of the town’s positioning on this ancient highway, its medieval and early-modern prosperity was due in large part to wool and agriculture. The town’s historic wealth is illustrated through its principal church, St Wulfram, with its 86m-high spire, and the C15 stone frontage of the Angel and Royal Hotel. The town’s building stock was historically built of stone or timber, but much was rebuilt during the C18 and C19 in local red brick. The opening of the canal to Nottingham in 1797 and the arrival of the railways in 1850 and 1852 increased opportunities for trade, while an industrial economy developed with the opening of Richard Seaman and Richard Hornsby’s Spitalgate ironworks in 1810. Hornsby and Sons later became known for producing the UK’s first diesel engine in 1892 and were early pioneers of tractors and caterpillar tracks.
47 and 48 High Street are a pair of houses constructed during the late-C18. The original subdivision of the houses is illustrated by the step in the roofline, visible from the opposite side of the High Street. The dates at which the houses were combined and converted to use as an inn are unclear. A rainwater hopper is inscribed with “1786 W.H.”, which may suggest that the White Hart had been established there by this time. The establishment was known as the White Hart Inn by 1856, at which time it reopened following extensive alterations and improvements (Grantham Journal, 12 January 1856, 1). By 1887, the establishment was known as the White Hart Hotel. The OS town plan of that year shows the form of the building at that time: it comprised two long, narrow ranges running back into the plot forming a courtyard, accessed from an off-centre covered way on the High Street frontage. During the C20 the windows to the central bay were added, the building was converted back into two properties and two shopfronts were added. Number 47 was in use as a fast food restaurant until the early 2000s and was later used as a shop, while number 48 has been a building society since its conversion.
Details
Two houses, constructed during the late-C18, combined and converted to an inn by 1856, extensively remodelled and converted back into two properties in 1986-88, now with commercial premises on the ground floor.
MATERIALS: the building is of painted brickwork in Flemish bond with a pantile roof covering, and late-C20 shopfronts of timber, glazing, plastic and tiles.
PLAN: the building has a roughly rectangular plan. The principal, east, range is orientated north-south, running parallel to the High Street and, to the rear, two adjoining parallel ranges project to the west.
EXTERIOR: the principal, east range is three storeys tall across five bays under a pitched roof concealed behind a coped brick parapet. The roofline steps up immediately to the south of the central bay, indicating the original division of the two properties. There are brick chimney stacks at either end of the roof ridge. On the ground floor is a pair of late-C20 or C21 shopfronts. The first and second floors each contain five sash windows within timber surrounds set flush with the brickwork. On the first floor, all five have six-over-six glazing, while on the second floor, the three windows at number 47 (the three southernmost bays) are smaller, three-over-three sashes. Those at number 48 (the two northernmost bays) are six-over-six sashes. The windows at number 47 are positioned slightly higher on the elevation than those at number 48. All four windows at number 48 have gauged brickwork heads with projecting keystones. The rainwater hopper at the southern end of the elevation bears the letters: ‘W H 1786’. To the rear of the principal, High Street range are two-storey rear ranges projecting back into the rear yard. These elements were rebuilt during the late-C20.
