Ancient House

Details

DEBENHAM GRACECHCRCH STREET TM 16 SE 6/71 No.1 (Ancient House) & 9/12/55 No.3 (formerly listed as Ancient House; Cottage adjoining Ancient House on W. side)

GV II*

Hall, service rooms and kitchen of former inn, now 2 dwellings. Circa 1540. Timber framed and plastered. Roof plaintiled to front and pantiled to rear. 2 storeys and attic. Continuous jetty to street on original brackets; only the caps of the buttress-shafts remain. The mid rail beneath the jetty is moulded. Good C18 mullion and transom windows with square-leaded glass, much of it old. 2 ground floor windows have boarded or panelled shutters. To extreme left, a small early C17 window with ovolo mullions and carved sill. No.1 has a fine timber porch with brick nogging, the enriched tie beam dated 'T' over 'SF' (for Simon and Frances Tovell), JUNE 1638; overhanging gable on carved brackets; ovolo-moulded entrance; intact turned balusters to one side opening. Within, an ovolo doorframe and good plank door with panelled face, both of 1638. These are set in the C16 cross-entry doorway with 4-centred arch and well-preserved carved spandrels. No.3 has a boarded door. Internal and gable stacks, both of c.1540; plain shafts, that to the internal stack mainly of narrow red brick. Interior. No.1 comprises the hall and cross- passage. Service doorways have carved spandrels, one incomplete. Against the cross-passage is the original screen, heightened in early C17: moulded top rail, hollow-moulded muntins; one wide 4-centre arched doorway, another similar opening blocked by early C17. Side facing hall has an early C17 all- over painted design of lozenges. Front wall of hall shows original brick nogging. Hall ceiling has fully-moulded main beam (slightly mutilated) and closely-set plain joists. Fine fireplace: moulded brick jambs, upper part of moulded lintol, moulded square stuccoed surround. Above is a central pair of niches with stepped heads and to each side a further niche with stuccoed 4- centre arched head. Side of chimneybreast has 2 further niches; below is a small C17 cupboard with original door. Brick archways between stack and side walls, one incomplete: front doorway led to adjacent room, rear doorway led to cellar. Brickwork has remains of red ochre wash and lining of joints. Behind stack is an early C17 newel stair. Chimneybreast of upper room has fragmentary late C16 painting: linked quatrefoils enclosing flowering plants, probably roses. 2 contemporary inscriptions, including 'Let every man yn his youth (?) obedient be Gydding hys household and family'. Early C17 overpainting of vertical panels resembling columns. Plastered ceiling with simply-moulded surround. No.3 comprises the service rooms and kitchen beyond. Kitchen has open fireplace with original lintol. Over service rooms is a well-preserved original window with heavy square mullions. 2 blocked early C17 windows. Continuous gallery at rear, at end of which is an original doorway which led into a gardrobe. Several C16-C17 doors. Intact queen-post roof over both occupations. For remainder of building see Items 6/l00 and 6/101. For drawing of whole structure see Mr T. Easton, Bedfield Hall.

Listing NGR: TM1736563241

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

281495

Legacy System:

LBS

End of official list entry

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