5, Churchgate Street

This is an early 16th century house and shops. Four bays survive from what was originally a row of early 16th century shops, with jettied first-floor halls above. The timber framing is visible externally in the right-hand gable end, showing close studding. The front wall is now faced with brick, and the jetty has also been rebuilt in brick. The steeply pitched roof is covered with asbestos tiles. The building is two storeys high. The windows and doorways are 20th century replacements.

The interior is arranged in four bays and a narrower bay, likely for a passage. The floor framing features early 16th century double cyma moulding to the main beams, except for those in the passageway, which are unmoulded. At first floor, the posts have jowled heads, and upward bracing connects to the chamfered and stopped tie beams. Originally, the first floor was open to the roof. There is no evidence that any of the roof trusses were closed, apart from mortices in the tie beams of the narrow passage bay. The roof is tenoned side purlin construction, with the purlins in line. Curved wind braces run from the principal rafters to the purlins. The principal rafters are joined by collars and are halved and pegged at the apex. There is no evidence of smoke blackening, likely due to the removal of side stacks that originally heated the halls.