The Shrieve'S House

This is a yeoman’s house with associated rear outbuildings, now a shop. The front range was likely rebuilt on an existing plan after a fire in 1614, while the rear outbuildings were reconstructed following a fire in 1595. Restoration work took place in 1908, 1947 by F Yorke, and 1979 by S.A. Wright. It is timber-framed with plaster infill, sitting on a plinth of coursed rubble, and has a tile roof with a brick stack at the rear.

The house is two storeys with an attic, featuring an irregular three-bay front. The first floor is jettied and supported by carved brackets. A later entrance is located on the left end, with a triangular head containing leaded lights above a studded door fitted with strap hinges and an enriched iron handle. Directly above, a large carriage entrance on the right end has paired battened plank doors. The ground floor features a three-light canted oriel, originally a bay window. A similarly designed oriel above has a hipped roof, a three-light window to the right, and an inserted two-light window to the left, added in 1908. The attic has two gabled dormers installed in 1947, with windows of four and three lights respectively. The timber frame displays close-studded construction.

At the rear, a short gabled wing extends from the main structure, with a stack positioned to the left of the ridge line and an entrance with a battened door. A lower, two-storey outbuilding range is constructed with brick and plaster infill, and incorporates mostly three-light windows, some originally with wooden diamond mullions and without glazing. Various entrances are also present. The outbuildings are framed squarely.

The interior has several noteworthy features, including a well-preserved 17th-century staircase with splat balusters, square newels embellished with finials, and stud partitions. Panelling and doors, originally from another house, were incorporated around 1947.

Historically, the house was owned by the Guild of Holy Cross, later by the Corporation. It became known as the Shrieve’s House in the 20th century, referencing its first recorded tenant, William Sheryve, in 1542. Notable inhabitants have included William Rogers, a Sergeant at the Mace, who oversaw rebuilding and enlargement after the 1595 fire, and John Woolmer, the first Mayor of Stratford, in 1664. The building represents a fine example of a late 16th or early 17th-century yeoman's house maintaining its original range of outbuildings.