The Empress Hotel was in existence by 1640, the first accommodation in the town. It was later renamed as the "Bay Horse", and although it was a single-storey building, it was large enough to host an inquest of the Royal Forest Court. It was rebuilt in about 1870 as a much larger, three-storey hotel, and returned to its original name.[1] In 1965 the top storey was removed, and the facade was altered to the Georgian style. The building was grade II listed in 1975.[2]
The building is constructed of rusticatedgritstone and has a slate roof. It has two storeys and is ten bays wide. Over the middle four bays is a pediment containing a blind lunette. The entrance is in the centre, the windows are sashes, and on the right is a segmental-arched carriageway.[2]
