2 Waterside and 58 Fore Hill

These two adjoining houses originated as two-bay timber-framed dwellings in the late 16th century. They were subdivided into four cottages in the 18th century, and the eastern three bays were united into a single dwelling in the late 20th century.

Materials and Construction

The timber frame is encased in local handmade yellow brick laid in English bond, with a roof covering of red clay plain tiles.

Plan

The houses form part of a terrace on the south side of the street. 2 Waterside has a rectangular plan with a rear extension. To the west, 58 Fore Hill has a square plan with a large rear extension built in 2016, which is excluded from the listing and not shown on the current Ordnance Survey map.

Exterior

The building is four structural bays wide (but five window bays) and has two storeys and an attic under a pitched roof. The tumbled-in eastern gable of the original, steeper roof rises above the current roof pitch and has a tall ridge stack with an older red brick base. There is another ridge stack between the third and fourth structural bays, and a smaller, probably 19th-century, ridge stack at the west gable end. A skylight is positioned in the roof of the fourth bay.

A platband demarcates the ground and first floor. The third and fourth bays have a brick eaves cornice. The fenestration consists of five six-over-six pane sash windows on the ground floor and three-over-six pane sashes directly above on the first floor. The windows are set flush with the wall and are 20th-century replacements.

To the right of the second window bay is the 20th-century front door to 2 Waterside, which has four flush panels. To the right of the fourth window bay is the 20th-century neo-Classical style moulded doorcase to 58 Fore Hill, with a plain frieze and square pilasters, and a two-panel door. The position of former doorways from when the building was divided into four cottages is indicated in the brickwork to the right of the first window bay and to the left of the third.

The rear of 58 Fore Hill is now mostly obscured by the large two-storey gabled extension built in 2016, but to the right of this part of the cogged eaves cornice is visible. The rear of 2 Waterside has a catslide roof over a later kitchen extension lit by a three-over-three pane sash. A three-storey gabled extension projects from the centre of the elevation, supported on one side by timber posts and lit by 20th-century windows. To the right is a 20th-century glazed door with timber glazing bars and a lintel formed of the partially exposed mid-rail. A small window lights the first floor above, and the attic is lit by two hipped dormers wholly within the roof space, also 20th century in date.

Interior

The two houses have a shared structural history but the interiors are now separate dwellings and are described separately here.

2 Waterside

The three-bay plan of 2 Waterside consists of the two eastern bays, which originally formed one dwelling, and the third western bay, which originally belonged to 58 Fore Hill. What is now the central bay has been converted into a staircase hall and is flanked by reception rooms. The first floor has bedrooms in both end bays, and there are two more bedrooms in the attic. The later rear extension has a kitchen, a first-floor bathroom, and a sitting area in the attic.

Although the central bay (formerly the west bay of the two-bay building) has been particularly subject to later alterations, substantial portions of the 16th-century timber frame survive. The central principal truss (dividing the first and second bays) survives, along with the wall plate and mid-rail of the south (rear) wall, and the central spine beam and joists of the east bay. Portions of the western truss (dividing the second and third bays) also survive, although this appears to have been partly replaced in the late 20th century, as well as the spine beams and some of the ground-floor joists in the central bay.

In the east bay, to the left of the staircase hall, the exposed rear (south) wall plate is chamfered and stopped where it meets the central truss. It has a large edge-halved and bridled scarf joint towards the western end and a pair of peg holes which indicate the former position of a stud in the rear wall. The lower portion of the central bay division on the west side of the room has been truncated for the insertion of low brick walling, but a shorter section of the south wall post survives immediately below the chamfered bridging beam. The ceiling joists and chamfered spine beam survive, although the spine beam has been truncated at the eastern end, possibly to accommodate a larger fireplace. The tie beam has also been brought forward, probably for the same reason, and is positioned immediately west of the fireplace. The brick sides of the fireplace have been reconstructed in the same style as the original, and the bressumer replaced, in the late 20th century.

In the central bay, which contains the late 20th-century quarter-turn staircase, the chamfered spine beam remains in situ, along with the joists on the northern side. The timbers in the rear wall show signs of reuse, including the wall plate and the ground-floor door lintel to the southern extension.

The third (west) bay is more altered than the two eastern bays. The spine beam appears to be a later insertion (or replacement) and the joists are concealed. The principal original feature is the substantial fireplace, which has brick jambs chamfered on their inner edges, and an irregularly shaped chamfered bressumer with scroll stops and burn marks (thought to be ritual marks associated with protection against spirits). The bread oven was inserted in the 18th century when the building was converted into cottages. During the same phase, the brick winder stair was built up against the southern jamb of the fireplace. Directly above this, the timber stair that leads from the first to the second floor is probably contemporary.

On the first floor, the central truss has the upper part of a jowled post extant within the rear wall. This is chamfered on both inner edges and has scrolled stops where it meets the tie beam. The tie beam is also chamfered on both sides and stopped in the centre where it joins the spine beams of the east and central bays. The sides of the brick fireplace in the east room appear to have been reconstructed, but the bressumer is likely to be original.

The modified western truss retains the tie beam, which is chamfered on its eastern face. During the late 20th-century restoration, the original south post was replaced with a reused timber which has been given a jowl to match the profile of the original south post of the central truss. It is likely that the curving braces of the truss were also replaced as they are of narrow scantling and sit poorly within the original mortices. Towards the centre of the tie beam are two studs which are probably original.

In the third bay, the ceiling joists are exposed and run the full width of the room axially with no central spine beam. In the rear wall, part of the wall plate is exposed. In the west bay of the attic, the 19th-century purlins and Queen struts are exposed.

58 Fore Hill

58 Fore Hill consists of the western bay of the former two-bay dwelling. The ground-floor spine beam, which appears to be original, has moulded edges with a sunk ogee chamfer profile. The fireplace jambs are of variegated brick, chamfered on the inner edges, and the chamfered bressumer has a scrolled stop and burn marks. The 18th-century timber stair is positioned against the south side of the fireplace and projects into the bay. It is enclosed by a partition of pine boards set diagonally, and rises through two storeys with the upper partition formed in the same way. Each partition has an 18th-century two-panelled door with H-L hinges.

On the west side of the ground-floor bay there is a blocked-up fireplace which is therefore difficult to date, but may indicate that the room was formerly partitioned. There is a corresponding blocked fireplace in the first-floor bay and a partition wall in which a single timber post is exposed. This is chamfered on its northern edge and may relate to a former doorway opening. In the attic, the purlins and collar beams are exposed.

Pursuant to section 1(5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, it is declared that the modern extension to the rear of 58 Fore Hill is not of special architectural or historic interest.