The Swan Inn

The Swan Inn is a 15th Century listed building, formerly known as Bishops Lodge. Built in 1480 by the Bishop of Norwich, The Swan's interior reflects Hoxne's ecclesiastical past, with ornate ceiling beams and wide-planked floors.

The existence of a C16 side passage suggests that the building was already an inn. The parlour has moulded cross-beams and a dragon beam, evidence that the front and gable end of this section were once jettied. The Ceiling of parlour chamber has 2 chamfered bridging beams intersecting with moulded axial beams; moulded joists, possibly re-used. A First floor room in former stair wing has a stuccoed fireplace over which is an early C18 plaster cartouche, the central oval tablet shows a Resurrection scene and above is a coat of arms which contained the sacred monogram IHS. This room is likely to have been a private chapel for a Roman Catholic family.

The following is a list of known publicans:

The following is an architectural appraisal of The Swan carried out by the Suffolk Historic Buildings Group in 1996.

The Swan is a fine early timber-framed building which has been studied in some detail by Stephen Heywood and Robert Smith.

Because of the way the upper floor was divided into three separate units, each with its own stair, an original use as a high class guests lodging house has been postulated. It was an Inn by 1619, a plan of that date also showing a carriage entrance which has since disappeared. The brick front was added in the 18th century and at the rear there have been various later additions.

The two principle ground floor rooms have good moulded ceilings. The diagonal dragon beam in the parlour ceiling shows that the front and south end walls were once jettied.

The narrow two-storied wing behind the main chimney stack is original. Its function is unclear but it may have been a porch. The first floor room in it was heated by a fireplace in the flank of the main stack.

The two-storied porch to the south is a slightly later addition of high quality, possibly an upgrading of the original porch. Note the jettied first floor and end gable, and yet another overhang at collar level! Also the open-sided arrangement on the ground floor.

Oriel and clerestorey windows lit the fine first floor chamber with a moulded cambered ceiling, like a church porch.

The two-storey outshut behind the parlour seems to have contained an original stair as well as a small end room on each floor, the upper of these lit by a window with three arch-headed lights.

_{With thanks to Stephen Heywood and Robert Smith of the Suffolk Historic Buildings Group.}