Details
TL 8422-852 COGGESHALL CHURCH STREET
(north-west side)
9/51 No. 91 (The Woolpack
2.5.53 Inn) (formerly listed
as Woolpack Inn)
GV II*
House, now public house and restaurant. C15, altered in C16 and C20. Timber
framed, plastered with exposed framing, and some weatherboarding, roofed with
handmade red plain tiles. Complex plan comprising (1) 2-bay hall facing E, with
early C16 stack in front left corner, (2) 2-bay crosswing to left, incorporating
a through-passage, original shop, and inserted stack, (3) 4-bay extension to
rear of it, of which the front 2 bays are jettied to the right, (4) 2-bay
crosswing to right of hall, with an internal stack, (5) 2-bay range to rear of
hall and right crosswing, parallel with hall, jettied at both ends, (6) early
C19 single-storey extensions to rear right of red brick in Flemish bond, roofed
with red clay pantiles, terminating with coach-house. 2 storeys and cellar.
The front elevation of the hall range (1) has on the ground floor a C20 casement
below the head of an early C16 splayed oriel, moulded and crenellated, with
mortices for moulded mullions, and on the first floor the sill of an early C16
splayed oriel, moulded and with floriate carving, with C20 casements. The left
crosswing (2) has on the ground floor 2 C20 casements in original shop windows
with hollow-chamfered 4-centred arched heads, a blocked rebated narrow doorway
to right with similar head, and a wide similar doorway to right of it, with C20
double doors and leaded overlight; jetty with moulded bressumer, 3 hollow-
chamfered brackets on semi-octagonal attached shafts (one restored); on first
floor, one C20 casement, exposed 'Suffolk' braces trenched outside close
studding, and a moulded and crenellated tiebeam. The right crosswing (4) has an
underbuilt jetty, on the ground floor a C20 splayed oriel and C20 door with
4-centred head, on the first floor a C20 casement, a late C16 inserted window
with one diamond saddle bar, blocked, a hollow-chamfered tiebeam (restored), and
exposed external bracing (mostly restored). The left return is weatherboarded.
The right return of block (4) has one bracket of the underbuilt jetty, on the
first floor one long curved tension brace and a blocked unglazed window, and a
projecting gable with short straight braces below the tiebeam. The right return
of block 5 has straight tension braces trenched outside the studding, a blocked
unglazed window below a jetty with 2 plain brackets, and a gablet hip. Block 4
comprises the earliest part of the complex, with widely-spaced studding, 2
blocked unglazed windows in the right return, and a crownpost roof with cranked
down-braces and arched axial braces, late C14. Block 5 was added to it c.1400,
and was originally undivided at both storeys, and unstudded at the front except
where it projects to the right; it had unglazed windows at both the jettied
ends, and has central-tenon floor jointing, and a crownpost roof with curved
down-braces and arched axial braces and 2 gablet hips. Block 3 has an
underbuilt full-length jetty to the left, central-tenon floor jointing, and a
crownpost roof with arched axial bracing only; originally it comprised 2 rooms
of 2 bays on each storey; there is evidence that it extended further forwards,
but was truncated for the construction of block 2. Blocks 1 and 2 comprise one
build, mid C15. Block 1 has a spere truss at the left end, and both the other
trusses are open at both storeys, with spandrel-struts in the middle truss; the
rear girt is moulded and crenellated, with an original 4-centred doorway below;
it has an octagonal central crownpost with a moulded and crenellated capital and
4-way arched braces. Originally it comprised an open hall, but a floor was
inserted c.1500 and the front wall was rebuilt, with oriels at both storeys; the
joists and beams are moulded, with a framed trap for a chimney which preceded
the present one, probably timber-framed. All the timber structures are of
parallelogram plan to conform with the shape of the site. The cellar below
block 2 is original. See perspective drawings by D.F. Stenning, Essex County
Planning Department. RCHM 5.
Listing NGR: TL8529922942
