Situated in the historic core of Canterbury, near to the Kings Mile, is The Parrot pub. This is a typical Wealden Hall House with jettied wings. This mediaeval building is one of the oldest in Canterbury, dating from the C14-15, and is sited in one of the most ancient parts of the city, close to the Roman wall. Indeed, a stretch of Roman wall was incoporated in the nave of the neighbouring St. Mary’s Church, which comprises large Kentish ragstone courses, mediaeval flint nodules and later brickwork. St. Radigunds Hall was the original name of the building. Parrots are frequently mentioned in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales:
The birdes sang it is no nay
The Sparrowhawk Parrot and the popinjay
That joy it was to hear
When you approach the pub, there is clear evidence of late mediaeval architectural features, including timber mullion windows that were infilled and a timber sash window installed at a later date. There are two doors: one has been restored, and the other has spandrels with quatrefoils. The interior would have had an open roof, but this was later floored over and a fireplace installed at some point in the post-mediaeval period. The first floor has an interesting crown post roof that is typical of high-status buildings of the period. Although altered, the building clearly has a high level of historic and architectural interest that is reflected in the Grade II* listing.
Sources:
List description: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1336812
jfheritage.co.uk 