Details
This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 14/04/2020
SAFFRON WALDEN
TL5338
BRIDGE STREET (East side)
669-1/1/40
Eight Bells Inn
28/11/51
GV II*
Inn. C15 and late C16. Timber-framed and plastered, peg and clay tiled roof. L-shaped plan of long street range with earlier C15 rear range and later additions. Two storeys.
Front W elevation: continuous jetty with bressumer decorated with folded leaf, bay interval jetty brackets, one (S), moulded pilaster with capital still visible. Plaster decorated by old pargetting partly repaired in C20, combed panels with semicircular indented borders, Restored brick plinth along whole frontage. Ground floor, two doorways, one central, one at North end, both are mainly C19 work with pilasters, plain frieze and hood, doorheads both four-centred arches. Central doorway original, arched head C16 with leaf carved spandrels. North door C20 boarded with upper glazed light. Central door C19 with studded battened boards and three lancet lights. Three bay windows under jetty now set on brick bases, window between doorways has rectangular plan, one:four:one lights, original bracket sill carved with grotesque fish/dolphin either side of central `T.B' initials. Bay window South of centre similar, original sill embattled with sinuous flowered branch below. South end window similar but of three cants, one:two:one lights, original sill embattled with folded leaf round central rod below. First floor, restored, four oriel windows spaced along range supported on plastered coves with end brackets with contemporary leaf decoration. C16 sills all embattled, also embattled string at base of coving. Windows all of three-light casements with rectangular leaded panes and return side lights, central lights have C18 metal opening casements with stays and pulls. Above, single large rectangular stack in C18 red brick towards North end.North end elevation: gable end of jettied street range to West, long range behind to East. Street range, original folded leaf barge-boards, leaves of unusual palmetted form. Ground floor, now of brick which continues into rear addition where it carries a deep `catslide' roof. West-East, C19 three-cant bay window central under gable, sashes, one x two, three x two, one x two panes. Plain boarded door with overlight, three narrow C20 casement windows. First floor, under gable, restored C16 oriel similar to those on front range but with four casement lights and side lights and with tiled hipped roof. Rear range beyond, brickwork facade set back allowing two-storey elevation, plastered to West, weatherboarded over timber frame to East. Ground floor, West-East, two C19 single light casements with C20 boarded door between. Three large double leaved doorways (weatherboard above). First floor, three simple two-light windows in plastered wall which oversteps weatherboard below. Two roof breaks show progressive additions. South end elevation: barge-boards of original gable end renewed but decorated in same style as at North end, rear two-storey lean-to addition has slated roof continued down to ground floor lean-to. Rear East elevation: street range mainly concealed by C19 and C20 additons. Long rear wing to North shows three construction phases (1) to West, of relatively widely spaced tension braced studs, once jettied, now underbuilt (2) central block of two bays, jettied with close studding (3) East end plain timber-framed and plastered unit. Units (2) and (3) each have first floor boarded air vents.
INTERIOR: street range three unit system, ground floor has moulded principal ceiling joists with roll and cavetto in South two units of run comprising two principal rooms with crossed binding and bridging joists, diminished haunched soffit tenons used. Remains of partition between them still with simple original doorway with four-centred arched head. North end unit sharing stack with central room, similar crossed joist system of same scantling but not moulded. Stack much rebuilt but some late C16 brickwork survives. Street range, first floor, jowled posts and tie-beams seen, South end frame has internal tension bracing. Also partition on first floor over one below is tension braced with original plain doorway through. North end, half bay partition similarly braced. Edge-halved and bridled scarf in rear wall plate. North end rear wing, four western bays (1) once jettied to South, floor now removed and wall underbuilt. Two-way braced crown posts with foot bracing. North wall (originally first floor) blocked three-light diamond mullioned window with shutter groove at East end. Joint evidence for another similar window at West end. (2) central two-bay unit late Cl6, trapped side purlin roof. Original East end clear, now open but tie-beam has partition mortices, wattle groove and window mullion mortices and shutter groove. (3) East end unit clearly butted to rest, floor removed, internal stud bracing. East end wall now of brick, C19 and C20 additions behind street range of several phases extending into garden. The building clearly shows the oldest part to be a C15 long range running back from the street with the addition in the late C16 of the front range. Unit (2) of rear range is probably contemporary with the front, Unit (3) being added soon after.
(The Buildings of England: Pevsner N & Ratcliffe E: Essex: London: 1965-: 336).
Listing NGR: TL5355538680
