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Picture source: Nigel Mykura

The Antelope was situated on South Street. This grade-II listed pub has now been converted to shops and cafes. Originally an old coaching inn which was famous for housing the trials of the supporters of the defeated Duke of Monmouth in which 216 men were sentenced to death by Judge Jeffries.

Grade II* Listed former coaching inn. The front is early 19th century but late 16th century details remain in parts of the building. 'Fire from Heaven' by David Underdown 1613 mentions the Antelope with 'promise of rest and cool refreshment' and 1642 'The Burys who kept the 'Antelope'. The Oak Room, until recently a tea rooms, dates back to 1589 and was famously used by Judge Jeffreys ‘the Hanging Judge’ as the courtroom during the Bloody Assizes of 1685. A secret passage linked it to his lodgings at 6 High West Street partly uncovered in 2014. Also under the building is a cellar stretching 100 feet under South Street containing 14th century bricks. The hotel is also mentioned in Thomas Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge. Charles and Sarah Eldridge founded Eldridge Pope & Co Ltd Brewery at the Hotel in 1837 and brewed beer here, later it was sold to Courage & Co. In the 1980s the hotel and outbuildings were converted to the Antelope Arcade. In 1737 Thomas Atkins was assessed for rates at 6d 'for his house The Antelope'.

Steve Turner (September 2021)

Listed building details:

Yellow brick. 3 storeys. Stone-plinth. Facade divided into 3 bays by stone pilasters. These are rusticated on ground floor and have sunk panel treatment above. Deep flat moulded caps at top, the moulding being returned and carried across front as cornice. Flat stone string returned round pilasters. The 2 lower storeys of the 2 outer bays consist of segmental brick bows. On 1st floor the windows have bowed balconies on brackets with iron balustrades. Above each bow is a semi-circular window with 4-light casement. Central bay has opening giving access to yard. This has a pair of high wood grille doors. Above opening is french window with iron balcony. 2nd floor has 2-light casement. The front is of early C19 date, but the structure incorporates an earlier building and contains a late C16 fireplace. The courtyard has been roofed in, but there is still a right-of- way through it. 2 early C19 doorways with good elliptical fanlights open into the courtyard from the hotel. Interior contains the Oak Room with reset panelling of later C16. Moulding on muntins and lower side of rails only (though in north east corner rails are moulded on upper side only, suggesting panels have been reset upside down). Uppermost rail has double notches (possibly a primitive rendering of triglyphs) and crescent motifs. Frieze above this (itself panelled) with a form of strapwork in shallow relief. 1 pilaster (also with this strapwork) on high base, with egg and dart capital, and taking scrolled console. Moulded cornice to ceiling. Cupboard door with contemporary hinges. 2 chimneypieces, both with 4-centred stone arches (1 concave and 1 convex chamfer each) to fireplaces. Mantel shelf taken on paired (north end) or single (south end) Tuscan columns with high bases, that at south end with the "triglyph" motif. Overmantel has 6 paired ringed Tuscan columns with egg-and-dart abaci, taking patterned architrave (with modillions at south end), frieze with the same strapwork divided by paired scrolled brackets, and modillions to ceiling cornice. Between the columns are 2 arches on diminutive colonnettes with egg-and-dart extrados at south end, hollow chamfer at north end, semi-cirmilar bosses in spandrel and pendant finials at north end.

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Name Dates Comments Mike Neale 1966/1970 Customer. Regularly stayed overnight. I believe at the time I stayed there the telephone number was Dorchester 1.

Other Photos

Picture source: Hania Franek