Hotel, incorporating former Assembly Room. Dated by dendrochronology c1460, with early and late C19 and C20 alterations and additions. Former Assembly Room 1805, by Richard Ingleman. Close studded timber framing with rendered hogging, colourwashed brick underbuild, stone plinth to east front, and hipped and gabled slate and pantile roofs. 4 ridge and single side wall stacks. 2 storeys. U-plan with long rear wings facing a yard. East front, facing the Market Place, has a range of 5 small glazing bar sashes. Below, an off-centre carriage opening with a pair of plank doors, flanked to left by 4 larger glazing bar sashes. To right, 3 similar sashes, their lower lights reglazed. Close studded walls under the archway have arch braces. Door in wall to left. South side of yard has to left a 2-storey late C18 brick wing with double hipped roof and dentilled eaves. 3 glazing bar sashes and below, a late C19 canted wooden oriel window and to its right a casement, both with leaded glazing. To right a set back 2-bay 2-storey range with close studding and brick nogging and underbuild. In the right gable arch braces to the tie beam. C19 and C20 leaded casements, and half-glazed door to right. In the return angle, a late C20 flat roofed single bay addition. To right again, a further set back 2-storey range with all C20 fenestration and a single bay of close studding above to the left. To the right, a 3-bay late C20 addition. North side of yard has to right a 2-storey 6-bay range of close studding with brick underbuild and nogging. Irregular fenestration with mainly late C19 casements and an off-centre loading door. Below, to right, a glazing bar sash flanked by single doors, that to left with a round head. To left, 2 garage doors. To left again, a late C18 continuation of the wing in colourwashed brick with a large garage opening to the right without doors. Interior has on the first floor, to the right of the carriage arch, a room whose north wall has late C16 wall paintings, recently restored. At the north east end of the front range a 2-bay crown post roof, and in the north range a similar roof with 6 pairs of jowled posts, arch braces and close-studded gables. The remainder of the front range and the south range have principal rafter roofs. Front range ground floor has remains of timber framing, much of it restored and re-used, and a late C19 dogleg staircase with turned balusters, in an early C17 style. The former Assembly Rooms' survives only as a facade. Brick, the ground floor colourwashed, with stone dressings and hipped slate roof. Plinth, moulded first floor sill band, coved brick eaves. 3 storeys; 4-window range of glazing bar sashes with multi-keystoned lintels. Above, 4 smaller sashes with plain lintels. Central shallow Doric portico with projecting blind centre flanked by single glazing bar sashes. Beyond, on either side, single glazing bar sashes with multi-keystoned lintels. This building was the lodging of Charles I before his surrender to the Scots in May 1646. (Norman Summers: A Prospect of Southwell: London: 1974-: 14; dendro sample record & summary: Nottingham University tree ring dating laboratory: initial report: 1988-; G. Beaumont, Notts. County Council Conservation Officer: 1988-; Buildings of England: E Williamson: Nottinghamshire: Harmondsworth: 1979-: 333). (NCC/js)