The Bull Hotel, Denbigh, is a three storey 17th century structure, consisting of two separate buildings known to have been an early coaching inn. There is a rear courtyard containing former carriage-housing and stable range buildings (now modernised).
The Hotel is well positioned opposite the late 16th century Town Hall and has been known as the Bull Hotel since at least 1835, but former names were the Black Bull and the Guild Hall Tavern. At the siege of Denbigh Castle, during the Civil War (1646), tradition says that, generals Mytton and Myddleton held their headquarters here.

The earlier main building consists of an early 17th century, stone-built, 3-storey, double-pile plan with 3-bay gabled north front, having a projecting and jettied central entrance bay of timber frame over a stone porch. There is an attractive original well stair with moulded hand-rail and splat-balusters, rising to all floors. The main stone chimney stack is set to heat the rear rooms in a back-to-back form, while there are end chimneys to front-rooms with brick chimney stacks. The upper floors to the front are tile hung of c.1900 and the windows are early 19th century tripartite sashes. The framed projecting bay has been restored c.1900, but retains some original parts and is therefore probably much as built. The west facade has a central gable and retains evidence for an original 3-light mullion and transom stone window at first-floor, blocked by the present fireplace. This type of window is likely to have also been used in the front elevation.

To the left of the north elevation is a brick built 3-storey addition that retains an inscribed sandstone date of `1666 E L', which relates well to relevant documents in the Chirk Castle deeds. The plan of 2-units had its entrance to right side of the north front with a passage to early rear dog-leg stair and was not linked internally to the stone part until the late 19th century. Both rooms have original panelling, the front has a lateral projecting stack fireplace and the rear has a gable chimney with large stack, now with back-to-back fireplace to a later kitchen beyond of uncertain date.

The red brick north facade has stone quoins and stone coping to `Dutch gable-end with stone ball finials at apex and over stone kneelers. This elevation has 3 sash windows to ground and first-floors all with stone lintel and sills. A wider opening to second-floor has an iron hood with matching railings to balcony, also at first-floor. A photograph taken in the early 20th century shows a hooded doorway of Queen Anne style in the right hand window space. In the roof space a timber-framed gable-dormer mullion window survives from the east facade of the earlier 17th part century. This was an original 3 light mullion window with ovolo moulded mullions, having curved raking-struts to tie-beam truss. The east facade has flat brick arches to window openings with early 20th century frames.

The projecting entry bay of the Bull with its elaborately framed and jettied upper stories portrays its high status and illustrates the continued use of timber work for decoration in a modern stone-built, double-pile plan structure.

Visited, 29/07/03, D. J Percival & G. A. Ward.