28 AND 30, CLOSE

Nos. 28 and 30 Close is a large late 16th-century merchant's house that has been altered over time. The ground floor is made of dressed stone, while the upper facade features 18th-century or early 19th-century English bond brick with a band at the second floor. The roof is covered with pantiles. At the back, there is a late 17th-century timber-framed extension that rests on an older stone base and incorporates some original windows. This extension has brick nogging and a corrugated iron roof. The front of No. 28 has four storeys and five bays, while No. 30 has three storeys and three bays. Both houses have plain doors and sash windows, some of which include glazing bars.

Inside, the first and second floors of the front range each contain one large room, notable for its ceiling of closely set beams that are completely plastered. The ceiling features quasi-classical side mouldings and bands of Renaissance ornament, including paired birds, flowers, scrolls, and arabesque patterns with animals, with the thistle being a common motif. This ornamentation is reminiscent of 16th-century Scottish painted work. On the first floor, there is a contemporary stone fireplace with a flattened Tudor arch and sharp shallow roll mouldings. The stone mullioned windows have two, three, or five lights and feature a double hollow chamfer. The rear extension boasts an attractive oak staircase with urn and spiral turned balusters, a thick moulded handrail, and a moulded closed string. The ground floor is high and plain, indicating it may have always been used for mercantile purposes. At the time of the survey, much of the second floor ceiling had collapsed, and the building was in poor condition.