The Ancient House
The Ancient House, 1 and 3, King William Street
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II*
- List Entry Number:
- 1254336
- Date first listed:
- 09-Dec-1955
- List Entry Name:
- The Ancient House
- Statutory Address:
- The Ancient House, 1 and 3, King William Street
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Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2001-08-28
- Reference:
- IOE01/02391/21
- Rights:
- © A G Turner. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II*
- List Entry Number:
- 1254336
- Date first listed:
- 09-Dec-1955
- List Entry Name:
- The Ancient House
- Statutory Address 1:
- The Ancient House, 1 and 3, King William Street
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- The Ancient House, 1 and 3, King William Street
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Suffolk
- District:
- Mid Suffolk (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Needham Market
- National Grid Reference:
- TM0875355252
Details
TM0855
3/134
NEEDHAM MARKET
KING WILLIAM STREET
Nos. 1 and 3, The Ancient House
9.12.55
II*
Two houses, built as one substantial house in late C14 or early C15. (The date 1480 in right-hand gable is spurious). A central open hall with two cross-wings. Two storeys; one cross-wing has an attic. Timber-framed and roughcast with much exposed and painted oak framing, augmented with early C20 false half-timbering.
The solar cross-wing at the corner of Hawksmill Street is jettied on two sides, with broad knees, supporting alternate exposed joist ends and a moulded bressumer. At the corner is a massive post with a moulded and embattled capital. At the upper storey is very closely-spaced studwork. The service wing to right is end-jettied at the front and has widely-spaced tension-braced studwork. Plaintiled roofs with early C20 chimneys of red brick. Early C20 mullioned and transomed casements. Boarded entrance doors.
The two-bay open hall has a central truss with massive moulded arch braces to the cambered tie-beam; the octagonal crownpost has a moulded capital and heavy two-way braces (the post was designed to have lateral braces, but seems never to have received them). Heavy smoke-encrustation. Both cross-wings also have complete crown post roofs; the solar roof has an octagonal post at the open truss with a responding pilaster at the rear wall. Studwork has prolific tension-bracing throughout, but is closely spaced in the solar wing only.
Twin service room doorways with steep two-centred arched heads; similar doorways in the rear wall of the solar wing indicate an outside stair in the position of the C20 one. A fragmentary rear hall window has evidence for traceried lights below a transome. In early or mid C16, an upper floor was inserted into the hall with heavily moulded main beams and joists.
In 1476 the house was known as Poundizend, the property of John Flegg, and in 1523 as occupied by John Gardiner (both were wealthy clothiers).
Listing NGR: TM0875355252
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 436966
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 04-Jul-2026 at 07:25:24.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.