NHER 9772 (Building record) - Dun Cow Inn, Swainsthorpe

October 1951. Listed, Grade II.
Listing Description excerpt:
"Public House. Early 18th century. Brick, mostly laid in English bond. Plain tiled roof. Two storey and dormer attic in four bays...Platband at first floor continuing into returns...Gabled roof with three sloping dormers fitted with casements. Ridge stack right of centre and internal southern gable end stacks. Gable heads originally shaped. North gable now straight and shaped head to south remains only on rear slope. Interior of 1950s and later."
Information from (S1).
Please consult the National Heritage List for England (S1) for the current listing details.
P. Watkins (HES), 23 January 2025.

March 1979. Field Observation.
Visited by E. Rose (NAU).
Originally a late 17th century brick house with shaped gable to south bearing two oval blank windows; this has been badly damaged by having the front shoulders of the gable sliced off when the roof has been altered, probably at the same time as the façade and north gable were reconstructed - apparently around 1800 judging by windows and dentilling. The north gable has two blocked windows of this date. String courses may be original, and marks of original blocked doorway.
E. Rose (NAU), 15 March 1979. Information from record card (S2).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 23 January 2025.

Architects plans (1989) in file (S3).

Spring 2013. Field Observation.
Observations during repair works.
This building is a lobby entrance type farmhouse with 20th century extensions of no interest to rear. The house has been an inn for a long time but was probably not purpose built. It has a massive off centre axial stack and another stack to the opposite gable-end. It has excellent English bond brickwork with some blackened headers. As well as this it has a wide platband and half of its south gable is curved . Both of the latter point to the late 17th or early 18th century. There is nothing suggesting the rebuilding of the façade. The interior retains a lobby area and the stack. The stack originally stretched to the rear wall, as can be seen by the truncated bressumer to hall side and the lob-sided parlour side hearth. This shortening was to create the passage way. The original stair was to the lobby side of the stack. The hall side hearth was shortened to this side also in order to incorporate an oven or copper which had a separate flue connecting to the main flue. The upper floors not inspected.
S. Heywood (HES), 2 April 2013