37 AND 38, SHAMBLES

37 and 38 Shambles is a pair of houses that have been converted into shops and workshops. They date from the late 15th century, with a late 17th century extension added to No. 38. Both buildings were renovated and partially rebuilt around 1950. The front is timber-framed and rendered, while the rear of No. 37 is made of pink-orange brick in English bond, and No. 38 is rendered. The extension is rebuilt in buff-orange brick in English garden-wall bond.

The exterior features a two-storey front with two gabled bays, a jettied first floor, and exposed timber framing, including crown post trusses in both gables. There is a through passage at the left end, beneath an ogee-arched lintel. The shops have glazed and panelled doors with divided overlights; No. 37 has a two 8-pane Yorkshire sash window, while No. 38 has a four-light fixed window. The first floor windows are also two 8-pane Yorkshire sashes, and each house has a fluted inverted bell rainwater head.

Inside, the timber framing is partly renewed on the first floor of No. 37 and is visible throughout the building. On the ground floor, both rear rooms have fireplaces; the one in No. 37 has a plain surround with a cornice shelf, while No. 38 features a fireplace with a chamfered timber lintel. The first floor front room of No. 38 has a fireplace with a plain surround and a shelf supported by shaped brackets.