Porters (Civic House)

Porters, also known as Civic House, is a Grade I listed building located on Southchurch Road in Prittlewell. The house is named after the le-Porters family, a notable family in south-east Essex during the 14th century who owned the estate. It is believed that a member of this family may have constructed an earlier house on the site. The first recorded owner of the current structure is Humfrey Browne, who died in 1592, although it may have been built by a member of the Tyrrell family, who owned the estate earlier in the 16th century.

This late 15th or early 16th century manor house is made of red brick and features cross wings at both the east and west ends, which are gabled on the north and south fronts. At the end of the 16th century, the house was either completed or extensively rebuilt, with the space between the wings filled in and a porch added to the north front. The building has a moulded brick plinth and consists of two storeys with attics.

The windows are stone mullioned and transomed casements, with 3 to 5 lights. The north front has a four-window range, while the south front displays irregular fenestration. The original windows under the gables on the north front, along with the ground storey window of the centre block, feature moulded mullions and transoms. On the south front, the attic windows in the gables and the first storey windows of the centre block are also original, with some south side windows having moulded brick reveals. A gabled porch protrudes from the north side of the house. The roof is tiled and includes one hipped dormer window on the south front, along with chimney stacks that have diagonally set shafts on the east and west ends, which have been rebuilt.