25, Market Place

UTTOXETER MARKET PLACE SK 0833/0933 No 25 1/200 GV II*

House, with shop, unoccupied at time of inspection (August 1991). Timber framed, clad in brick; tiled roof. The medieval building consists of one short bay, probably the cross-passage of a high- status late-C14 open aisled hall of two, or more bays, with a storeyed C15 wing attached to the west (left). The front wall was largely removed and replaced by the present brick frontage in 1869. Contemporary accounts indicate that the wing was of exposed framing with a decorated coved jetty to the attic storey and that the cross passagehad a storeyed porch (almost certainly of C17 or later date; the building then served as the Old Crown Inn); the medieval house occupied two and a half burgage plots and it is possible that early work survives in the adjacent property (no27, qv. Front: regular 2-window range of 3 storeys. All windows with wedge lintels; 4-pane sashes to 2nd, 2-light C20 casements to 1st floor. Late C20 fully glazed integrated entrance and shop window. Secondary entrance to extreme right. The interior possesses medieval work of considerable quality and importance. The one visible aisled bay of the former open hall contains a truss (most likely a spere truss) with large jowelled posts with cyma-and hollow-moulded arched braces and central foliated boss, concave moulded arcade posts, cambered tie, raked queen posts and cambered collar, side butt-purlins, curved wind braces; original rafters. Little of the aisle construction is visible, but there is evidence of a wallplate and close studding to the south side. Partially closed east partition, with close studding; this and the timbers are smoke blackened. The hall range roof continues intact almost one bay to the east where it meets the west slope of the later cross wing. The exposed pegging to the east side of the spere truss confirms that the principal face was to the west. Wing originally of three or four bays: main open truss (to 1st floor), simply chamfered braces to principals with slightly cambered tie; chamfered and stopped side purlins. Formerly closed truss to south with most of its close studding removed has cambered collar. Truss to north considerably altered. Aisled halls in the Midlands are extremely rare, and few high- quality medieval town houses have so-far been recorded in Staffordshire. It is highly likely that considerable medieval remains survive beneath later cladding.

Listing NGR: SK0923933372