Star Inn, Old Heathfield

Old (Historic England state “17th century or earlier”) timber-framed inn refaced with cement and red brick, with an extension at the rear added in the 18th century. It looks like it expanded from a small public bar on the right to two public rooms in the inter-war period and there have been some changes since. Hardwood double glazed windows fitted in 1985. There is also a separate function room upstairs, accessed by an internal staircase in 1988.

Nowadays you enter via the left hand door into the L-shaped Saloon Bar with both bare wood and parquet floor (no doubt added when alterations took place in 1988) and inglenook fireplace on the left containing benches either side. The bar counter is of a distinctive inter-war style with vertical panels and sloping towards to the top; curved in the middle it continues to the rear and there is a couple of swing doors for staff. The bar back shelves attached to old vertical panels appear later additions, possibly 1977 when the bar area was remodelled. The walls are lined with dado panelling and bare wood backed fixed seating including the small snug area at the rear left; the above dado panelling attached to the staircase here is certainly a modern addition from the 1988 alterations.

A door leads to the Tap Room which was the original public bar on the right – the exterior door is no longer in use as this room is used more as a dining room nowadays so expect ‘reserved’ signs on the tables. This old bare wooden floor small room has a two-sided panelled bar counter with brackets that could be a hundred years old. The bar back consists of later shelving on a mirrored back and a lower section with an old drawer (alongside a modern sink). There is more panelled walling and bare wood backed fixed seating, which could date from inter-war times, and an old wood surround with brick interior fireplace which dates from at least the 1930s, but with a modern log burner. The timbers on the wall in the far right area is old wood but was added by a previous licensee in the 1990s. On the far right the gents’ toilets were added in 1989 to replace outside ones.

Upstairs is a function / dining room with a 'barrel' ceiling and walls lined with fielded panelling that looks to be from the inter-war times. There is a marble fireplace, possibly a later replacement. The present access of a staircase from the left hand bar was created in 1988 to replace the original exterior access from the left hand side of the building."