Bible House

Bible House

A house dating from 1685 with later additions and alterations from the 18th or 19th century. The original portion is timber framed, while later additions incorporate colourwashed rubble stone and brick walling, likely concealing further timber framing beneath. The building is covered with a tiled roof and comprises two storeys with an attic and basement.

The northern front, facing Church Street, features a projecting gabled porch wing positioned near the centre. This wing is constructed with small-framed walling and has girding beams with an ogee profile between the ground and first floors and between the first and attic floors, creating a jettied appearance. At first-floor level is a cross window with casements, and the attic gable contains a three-light casement, though marks on the sill suggest this opening was once wider. The initials 'I A' and the date '1685' are carved on a shared pendant hanging from the gable apex. At ground-floor level, the door sits to the left of centre, with a canted bay window to its right fitted with balusters forming an apron below. Marks beneath the girding beam indicate the door was originally positioned centrally with no window present. The right flank displays close studding at ground-floor level with a blocked window opening. Above, the first floor and attic have small framing. To the right of the porch, framed walling continues with a sash window and half-glazed door at ground-floor level and casements above. The attic roof appears to have been raised in this section. To the left of the porch sits a single bay of 18th or 19th century brick walling set above, flush with the attic storey of the porch wing. This portion has a sash window at ground-floor level with a cellar hatch below set in rubble stone walling, a cross window to the first floor, a plat band above, and a chimney stack to the far left.

The east flank, facing Sherford Street, displays mostly 19th-century openings with cambered heads in both sash and casement forms. The walling appears to represent at least two phases of construction, with rubble walling visible at basement level in the centre and right portions. The sloping ground reveals a full basement storey on this elevation, which contains double doors to the right and a pedestrian door to the far left. At ground-floor level are two canted oriel windows with flat roofs to the left, above which are sash windows with sixteen panes. To the right, above a plat band, is a two-light casement.

The interior was not inspected for this assessment but has been informed by an Insight Historic Buildings Research report from 2009, which documents that the building resulted from several phases of development including two in the 17th century, one in the 18th century, and one in the 19th century. The staircase has been relocated from its original position and the roof has been raised to the west of the building. Subdivision into four flats has obscured certain features.