Details
SAFFRON WALDEN
TL5338 BRIDGE STREET
669-1/1/28 (West side)
28/11/51 No.15
Bridge House
(Formerly Listed as:
BRIDGE STREET
Nos.13A, 15 AND 17
Bridge House (15))
GV II*
Includes: The Corner House FRESHWELL STREET.
Previously listed as 3 houses, now combined into one.
House. Late C15 core, early C16 SE end addition, early C17
refurbishment and additions, early C18 reconstruction and
enlargement, C19 and C20 division and additions. Timber frame,
plastered, rear additions in brick, hipped tile roof,
additions slated. 3 storey. Plan now rectangular with rear
irregularities but comprised of 2 medieval units, one,
principal to street, and other at right angles, parallel to
Freshwell Street.
Front, NE elevation to Bridge Street: 7 bay, early C18 facade,
all timber and plaster work, moulded and dentilled eaves
cornice and rusticated quoins. Central doorway with segmented
pediment, moulded jambs, door of 6 fielded panels, upper 2
have C20 glazing. All windows are sashes with glazing bars,
first and second floor have C18 moulded frames with some C18
sashes, ground floor mainly C19 or C20 replacements. First and
second floor windows 3x4 panes, ground floor, S-N, C20 3x4
sash window with horns, off centre to those above, C19 doorway
with flat cornice hood, door has upper glazing, 3x2 panes, 2
lower beaded flush panels. C18 window, moulded architrave, 4x4
panes, central door, C19 3-cant bay window with brick plinth,
sashes 2x4, 3x4, 2x4 panes, C19 doorway, simple cornice hood,
upper glazing with margin lights and lower moulded panel. C20
sash window, 4x4 panes. N end has massive early C17 shafted
stack together with carriageway set back and continuing
facade, peg-tiled with a pair of C19 boarded doors each with
upper separately hinged decorated sections.
SE end elevation, to Freshwell Street: similar to front, one
upper moulded quoin has simple 1550 date inscribed (probably
C19). Plain C19 doorway with bead moulded 4-panel door with
over-light. At SW end, single sash window on each floor -
ground floor, C19 4x4 panes, first floor, C18 restored in C19,
4x4 panes, second floor C18 3x4 panes. To SW, rear stopped
gable has C18 external red brick stack and early C20 slated
timber-framed conservatory style lean-to.
NW end elevation: of house, broad early C17, red brick stack
with 4 octagonal shafts rising above roof apex with an upper
blind stone framed, brick pedimented 3-light window. Below,
beneath timber-framed carriageway roof are 2, now exterior,
fireplaces of early C17 brickwork, ground floor one with
simple timber lintel (soffit cut back) and first floor one
with moulded arched lintel, cyma, quirk and hollow chamfered.
Stack brickwork has included timber horizontals, probably for
lintels of early way through from house. Large area of C20
brickwork to rear. Carriageway rear upper boarded wall has
pigeon loft doorway and arched holes for birds.
Rear, SW elevation: original principal street range and gabled
end with stack to S rise to 2 storeys. C17 shafted stack at N
end and 3 smaller intermediate red brick stacks along range on
or near roof apex. Gabled, peg-tiled stair tower rises
centrally through roof of principal range. To S, deep slated
brick and timber lean-to catslide roof from principal roof
with secondary brick and timber lean-to on its N side, small
stack on N wall, deep recess between additions. N end of
range, brick and slated gabled addition with low pitch
timber-framed garage lean-to roof on N side with glazed doors.
Ground floor, N-S, late C19 addition with French windows,
lean-to, C19 sliding sash window, 4x2 panes, C20 door with
upper glazing, 2x3 panes, C20 4-light iron casement window,
4x4 panes sash window, also, N end return wall has C20 door,
upper glazing, 2x3 panes and 2 lower panels. First floor, N-S,
C18 sash window, 3x4 panes with remains of moulded panel
pargetting on wall to N. C20 3x4 sash window with horns and
C20 casement, 2x2 panes. N return wall of lean-to, single C20
casement.
INTERIOR: earliest phases are seen at SE end. (1) framing of
late C15 principal range, parallel to street, jettied to SE,
posts with decorated jetty brackets, chased recesses below for
pilasters, now removed. (2) block abutted at right angles.
Room to front, with dragon beam showing, was once jettied
round corner of Bridge Street and Freshwell Street, possibly a
shop. Behind, rear room has moulded framing and axial joist
with moulded dividing ribs creating panelled ceiling and also,
clear evidence on SE side (to Freshwell Street) of original
jetty with well preserved post with jetty bracket and
decorative pilaster in SW corner. Long shutter groove and
joint evidence for a large bracketed ground floor medieval
oriel bay window beneath jetty. Undershot passageway through
from Bridge Street (in line with C19 front doorway) with
internal porch/ante-room to decorated room. Doorway between
has 4-centred arched head with quatrefoiled roundel and
daggers in spandrels, plain similar doorway to rear of
'porch' .Large\bracket for open frame at rear suggests range may have been cut back. Above, first floor has large chamber on same axis, now divided, 2 bays, jowled posts with central .cambered tie-beam with bold brace remaining. Shutter groove to
front (Bridge Street) shows original window site with stud peg gap implying second window in rear bay to Freshwell Street.
ICentre of principal range has original narrow bay (site of C19 bay window) , probably ~ cross-passage, hall being to S and service to N. (3) early C17 remodelling reversed the function of the house and the N end acquired the massive stacks for
.principal rooms whose internal fireplaces are now C19 and C20
but shadow of broad ground floor fireplace exists.
Contemporary stack of small bricks built on back o~all for .rear kitchen wing addition, binding ceiling joist with lamb's
tongue chamfer stops remains (both stack and kitchen walls now cut down as plain lean-to) .Throughout the house sections of
early C17 panelling with fluted frieze and fluted fan panels
are reused for doors and wainscotting. (4) C18 enlargement comprised the construction of a timber-framed upper floor, windowed to street, but shallow in depth, with roof carried
II down at back to earlier eaves level. Well preserved newel
stair with turned balusters and shaped handrail, square newel posts set through rear of old cross-passage and projected
through roof pitch as a stair tower to top, second storey. Pendant cherub's heads on hanging newel posts. The cross-passage framing is removed on S side and partition resited to create a spacious entrance hall. The partition frame though is, necessarily, supported on 2 timber Corinthian columns within the hall. The interior has considerable late C19 and early C20 partitions and rear additions. Early C17 II kitchen fireplace infilled with C19 grate and stack then truncated to stop below lean-to roof set over kitchen area. Roof considerably rebuilt with softwood members. RCHM 1911 and photograph c1920 record the house containing 3 shops, explaining the early C20 reinstatement of the Georgian ground floor frontage. Cellar below SE end of central range.
(The Buildings of England: Pevsner N & Ratcliffe E: Essex: London: 1965-: 335; Stacey HC: Saffron Walden in old photographs: Saffron Walden: 1980-: FIG.51) .
Listing NGR: TL5354538653
