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Summary

Early 19th century hotel, three-window centre range of four storeys, with slightly projecting three storey wings.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1292476: TANTON'S HOTEL

Other References/Statuses

• Old Listed Building Ref (II): 375904

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• HOTEL (XIX - 1801 AD to 1850 AD (Between))

Full description

Department of National Heritage, 19/04/1993, Bideford, 193 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV338459.

Hotel. Early 19th century in date. Solid rendered walls. Slate roofs. Centre of front range hipped with flat top; wings and a rear range running behind the whole building have pitched roofs paralled to road, the rear range now heightened at the left-hand end. Two red-brick chimneys on the rear range. Three storeys, the centre of the front range rising to four storeys. Three-window centre with slightly projecting wings, three windows to the left and two to the right. Six-panelled door slightly off-centre to the right. Almost above it is a round-headed semi-circular niche; it now contains a classical figure in armour, brandishing a sword, and is possibly a former ship's figurehead. Flanking it are flattened bow windows rising through three storeys to the bracketed eaves. Flat roof-top has patterned iron guard-rail. Wings have similar bows in second storey, except that the left wing has a blind window in the centre. Sashes throughout; three-paned in the ground storey; six-paned upper sashes in the bow windows, with four panes in the side-lights; three over six panes in the third-storey windows of the wings; six-paned upper sashes in the middle third and fourth-storey windows of the centre.
Interior inspected only on the ground storey, which appears to have been wholly altered in the late 20th century. The building is shown on Wood's 1842 plan of Bideford as 'Commercial Inn'. Kelly's directory for 1856 and Billings's directory for 1857 refer to a similar establishment, probably this one, described variously as being in New Road and at 'Bridge end'. A photograph of 1863 shows it labelled Chester's Commercial and Family Hotel; the whole building was then three-storeyed. Morris's directory for 1870 lists it under its present name and calls it a family and commercial hotel and posting house. The building occupies a prominent waterside position adjoining the Public Library, Town Hall and Bridge.

Goaman, M., 1968, Untitled Source, 37 (Monograph). SDV13526.

Timms, S. C., 1977-1981, Bideford Development Control Consultations, 23/9 (Un-published). SDV346164.

1982 proposal to convert Hampton Terrace flats to hotel bedrooms.

Rushton, N., 2006, River Torridge Pipeline, Bideford, Devon: Rapid Archaeological Appraisal, 7 (Report - Interim). SDV342463.

Torridge District Council, 2009, Bideford Conservation Area Appraisal, 14 (Report - non-specific). SDV351295.

The early 19th century Tantons' hotel, formerly the Commercial Inn. It is three storeys high, rendered, and with flattened bow windows; the whole occupies a prominent waterside position.

Ordnance Survey, 2012, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV348725.

Map based on this object.

Wapshott, E. + Hosegood, V., 2014, Tantons Hotel, Bideford, Devon: Results of a Desk-based appraisal (Report - Assessment). SDV357909.

The desk-based study would suggest that the Tantons Hotel is an amalgamation of buildings dating prior to the early 19th century mapping. These were unified in the mid 19th century and remodelled later in the 19th and early 20th century. Later, mostly 20th century, alterations have removed a high percentage of the original internal fabric of the buildings. See report for full details.

Humphreys, C. + Wapshott, E. + Bampton, J., 2014, Tantons Hotel, Riverside Flats and Hampton Terrace, Bideford, Devon: Results of a Historic Building Assessment, 12, 29; Figures 6-9 (Report - Survey). SDV357908.

Tantons Hotel would appear to be an amalgamation of buildings dating prior to 1842 (the date of the earliest mapping) becoming a more unified structure later in the nineteenth century. Establishing the development of this building with any degree of accuracy has not been possible. Figure 6 below (based on the John Wood map of 1842) is an indication of how the building may have developed as an amalgamation of earlier structures however the different elements cannot be accurately dated. Plans of the other floors have been included to allow for the layout of the rooms to be understood, however as these cannot be accurately dated, they have not been coloured to reflect phases.
See report for full details.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4517 - Archaeological Appraisal of River Torridge Pipeline Routes, Bideford, Devon
• EDV6695 - Tantons Hotel, Riverside Flats and Hampton Terrace, Bideford Results of Historic Building Assessment

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