Description

SAFFRON WALDEN

TL5338 HIGH STREET
669-1/1/177 (East side)
28/11/51 No.4
(Formerly Listed as:
HIGH STREET
No.6)

GV II

Formerly known as: Nos.4 AND 6 HIGH STREET.
House. Late C14, and late C15. Timber-framed and rendered with
some exposed framing and C20 pargetting. Roof of plain tiles,
gabled but with slate roofed rear block with hip to E. 2
storeys and attics. Plan of hall with 2 cross-wings.
High Street elevation: N cross-wing has pargetted gable with 6
paned C20 casement and first floor of exposed framing, mostly
original. All windows on this front are C20 small paned
casements. The first floor has large square corner posts,
tension braces and moulded tie-beam over. The first floor
openings appear to have been a pair of flush windows with
arched heads (as survive on N). Remnants of inserted small C17
window. The ground floor front jetty is exposed above a C20
small paned bow window. The projecting floor joists show
mortices for end and central brackets. The corner to NW has
dragon post with moulded capital and oversized brattishing.
The elevation to hall has gabled dormer in roof with one
6-paned C20 casement. The first floor has exposed framing not
original, over a C20 doorcase wth gable and sidelights. The
front of the S cross-wing has C20 pargetted gable with
casement and first floor of reused exposed timber not
respecting the original design. The exposed jetty below has
mortices for 4 jetty brackets, probably denoting a central
window. Large paned C20 bow window. The N flank to the N
cross-wing is jettied to path leading to churchyard. The
framing is exposed and has corner tension traces and an
original 2-light window with 2 cinquefoiled arched heads with
carved spandrels. Originally there was a similar window on the
W end of this wall over the dragon beam. Corbelled brick stack
under jetty with 2 linked octagonal shafts above eaves (C17?)
The ground floor is rendered and there are 2 original exposed
jetty brackets. The geometry of this cross-wing is all
slightly skewed to take into account an angled side boundary.
The rear of the N wing has framing exposed in gable with
down-braced crown-post and rear plain tile roofed lean-to.
Rear of hall has catslide, plain tile extension and stack
through roof slope. S cross-wing projects back further linked
to rear block with higher eaves line and slate roof. Small
stack on ridge line of S cross-wing. S wing is much altered
but is of 3 large bays with exposed framing on flank to former
hall. This has tension bracing either side of main post
suggesting late C14 or early C15 date.
INTERIOR: the ground floor room has C17 panelling, partly
painted. 2 doors of similar panelling. To the rear is a later
block (C15?) of framing seemingly of a large 2 or 3 bay
chamber on each floor. The narrow hall part of the building is
much altered but has a sooted collar purlin, apparently
in-situ with one crown-post and base, all at a level
suggesting a very tall hall (Wealden?). The collar purlin
suggests, by the position of brace mortices, a very narrow
`low-end' bay and truncation of the high end by the
construction of the later N cross-wing. The crown-post braces
were mounted very high and with a low flat profile. The N
cross-wing of mid to late C15 is of 3 equal bays, formerly
with intruded cross-passage with moulded bressumer for spered
opening to hall. Arch braces to tie-beams are missing in
probable former solar over. Crown-post roof has simple
longitudinal braces (2 missing). House appears to have
`changed ends', provoked by construction of later N
cross-wing.

Listing NGR: TL5368238526

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26490725

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6