4, HIGH STREET

Details

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

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

370561

Legacy System:

LBS

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