Building In Yard To Rear Of Numbers 40 And 42

This building, likely built as lodgings or a guest house and later used as stables, now serves as outbuildings and stores, is located in a yard behind numbers 40 and 42 on Broad Street, Leominster. The structure dates to the late 15th and early 16th centuries, with subsequent alterations made over time. It is constructed with a timber frame and weatherboarding, some areas filled with brick, and has a corrugated-iron roof, with plain tiles to the rear pitch. Originally, the building probably comprised three bays, with the potential for further extension to the north. A later range was added to the left, and another from the 17th century to the north-west.

The building is two stories high, featuring various openings and entrances, and includes a passageway on the left side. A queen strut truss is visible in the gable. Projecting timbers beyond the third bay may represent the former location of a stair cell.

The interior features an open ground floor in the third bay, and the upper floor is divided into separate rooms, originally accessible via a gallery and walkway on the west side. An inner wall frame encloses these rooms on that face, and the upper rooms were additionally enclosed by a ceiling spanning from a central beam to the east and inner west wall plates. Mortice slots for floor beams and the jowelled heads of the supporting central stud remain within each truss. On the ground floor, bay 2 was widened by a close-studded partition that encroaches into bay 3 by approximately one meter. The east wall frame is close-studded at ground floor level, with randomly framed square panels on the upper floor. Each upper-floor room originally had a window overlooking the garden; one such window survives in the west wall frame of bay 3. Bay 3 has a door head leading to the gallery.

The west elevation's open wall frame on the first floor includes a worn balcony rail close-studded between it and the girding beam. Ground floor posts are chamfered and sit on stone plinths, braced to the girding beam. Four trusses are present: two collared below upper purlins, and two comprising simple raking struts from tie-beams to principals. Both internal trusses originally had closed partitions but lack inner framing on the first floor of the two outer trusses. The large openings suggest the building was either originally extended with bays at each end or built alongside structures that have since disappeared. The projecting timbers beyond bay 3 likely indicated the position of a stair.

The building showcases high-quality timber framing, with most original members intact and in good condition. A remarkable feature is the first-floor external gallery, extending across the entire west front. The original purpose of the building is unknown, but theories suggest it may be a remnant of a medieval courtyard inn or guest house related to Leominster Priory. The rooms were unheated, making permanent lodgings unlikely; however, a commercial use is possible, though it is somewhat distant from the street frontage. This building may represent a rare survival of a medieval building type.