Home > Devon > Ashburton > Golden Lion Golden Lion
Date of photo: 1960s	Picture source: "Pubs and Inns of Ashburton" by Pete Webb, Obelisk
The Golden Lion was situated at 58 East Street. This grade-II* listed pub is now used as bed and breakfast accommodation. Built by Nicholas Tripe as his mansion in 1768, it became a pub, hotel and coaching house in 1797 until it closed in 1999. Final landlord was Alan Hope, leader of The Monster Raving Loony party who moved to the Dog & Partridge, Yateley, Hampshire.
Owned by James Lloyd from 1787 and passed to his daughter Samantha, and son in law, William Barons in the 1830s.
Gordon Lloyd (March 2016)
Listed building details:
Large house, now hotel. Early or mid C18, partly remodelled and extended late C18 or early C19 (reputedly c1790 for Nicholas Tripe, surgeon). Front and back walls of painted brick; right side wall and addition to left rendered. Hipped slated roof. Rendered chimneys. Double-fronted and double-depth; centre entrance passage leading to staircase between right-hand front and back rooms. Extension to left with ballroom on first floor. 3 storeys. 5 windows wide with 1-window extension to left. Main entrance has panelled front door in moulded architrave; 4 moulded panels above, flush panels, including a centre octagon, below. Flanking fluted pilasters supporting entablature with modillioned cornice. Upper mouldings of cornice replaced or concealed by a deep flat canopy with coffered underside (probably early C19); sides of canopy encased in late C20, but on top the older figure of a golden lion with its paw on a blue ball. At the front the canopy is supported by a large iron hoop rising from 2 painted stone columns. Windows have flat gauged arches and barred sashes in concealed frames: 8 over 8 panes in ground and second storeys, 4 over 4 panes in third storey. Front flanked by raised quoins, probably of cement. Modillioned eaves-cornice. Addition to left has windows with barred sashes: 8 over 8 panes in ground storey, 4 over 4 panes in third storey. Second storey has a variant of the Venetian window with 3 round-arched lights. Prominent boxed eaves-cornice. Side wall to right has 2 canted bays, the windows with barred sashes of 8 and 4 panes. Similar sashes in rear wall; extension with 3-light Venetian window matching that at the front. Interior: inner door with early or mid C19 moulded frame; patterned fanlight incorporating 6-sided lantern with enriched frame. Ground floor rooms and entrance passage of original part of building have original bracketed and dentilled cornices; bracketed cornice on first floor landing (rooms not inspected). C18 dog-leg staircase, its balustrade voluted at the foot; turned balusters with square necking-pieces, column-newels, shaped step-ends. Ballroom has moulded cornice; enriched chandelier boss set in a small dome.
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Other Photos
Date of photo: 2012	Picture source: Clive Schneidau
	Picture source: Clive Schneidau
Expenses incurred at an election party here in 1797	Picture source: Gordon Lloyd
Picture source: Hania Franek
Picture source: Hania Franek