King Charles House

King Charles House, Worcester

This timber-framed building on New Street, Worcester, was originally constructed as part of a merchant's house probably dating from 1577, serving as outbuildings to 5 Cornmarket. The front bay was rebuilt around 1670 as an annexe to numbers 4 and 5 Cornmarket, with a jettied upper storey added to both buildings at the same time. The rear bays were built separately in the late 17th century. The upper storey underwent restoration by FWB Charles in 1986 following a fire. The building was constructed for William Blagden and Richard Durant.

The structure is timber-framed with rendered infill except for the bottom row of panels, which are painted brick, with a renewed plain clay tile roof. It is long and narrow in plan with its longitudinal axis at right-angles to the street.

The exterior comprises three storeys and a cellar. There are two unequal bays of framing with a remnant of a further bay to the left. The top floor is jettied. Most of the ground-floor framing was removed, probably in the 18th century, to accommodate 6/6 and 12/12 sash windows, the latter having a divided lower sash. The mid-rail to the first floor features close-studding below and large panels above. A moulded bressumer (cyma recta over cyma reversa) runs beneath the jettied second floor. Main posts on the ground and first floors incorporate slender pilasters, those to the right of the elevation having console brackets. The first floor has renewed 2-light and 3-light side-hung casements with square-pane leaded glazing. The second floor has renewed attic gables with paired side-hung casements. The off-centre right entrance has a renewed part-glazed door, with two close-studded panels to the right bearing a plaque inscribed "King Charles".

The ground floor interior contains extensive small square-framed wall panelling, some from the 16th or 17th century and some from the 19th century, much of which is not believed to be in its original position; it is reputed to come from Kidderminster and Suffolk. There is a fluted timber frieze. An elaborately carved chimney piece depicts various scenes, one showing a figure dining with the devil, dated 1635; this was removed from Sidbury House, Worcester, which was demolished in the 1960s. The principal beams to the ceiling have roll mouldings. The first floor displays exposed square-panel framing. A replica staircase has slender turned balusters. There is a conventional cellar and an oubliette with a bottle-shaped cross-section.

Historically, King Charles House originally extended around the corner from Cornmarket to link with 29 New Street. In the late 18th century, much of the upper framing was removed and the corner was replaced by a new house and shop, 4 Cornmarket/30 New Street. The building is traditionally said to have been used by King Charles as his headquarters during the Civil War and is associated with the escape of Charles I after the Battle of Worcester in 1651. The original dwelling also encompassed 4 and 5 Cornmarket and number 30 New Street. An inscription board at number 5 Cornmarket includes the date 1577 and the initials WB and RD (for William Blagden and Richard Durant), who in 1577 are recorded as leasing a small triangle of land in Cornmarket from the city to square up their plot. An engraving of 1799 by James Ross shows the building as originally a 3-storey structure with the upper stage jettied and four gables. The original plan is thought to have been L-shaped following the angle of the two roads, with a kitchen, parlour, and entry passage from Cornmarket, then a shop with cellar beneath to the corner, and a hall and parlour. A fire around 1800 partially destroyed the timber-frame building and caused rebuilding to number 30 New Street and number 5 Cornmarket. The gables were removed between 1852 and 1860. A fire in 1986 destroyed the mainly softwood roof, which was seen as an opportunity for conjectural reinstatement of the second floor and roof from surviving evidence including the jetty beam. Numbers 25 to 30 (consecutive) form a group with the listed buildings in Cornmarket.