68, High Street

The building at 68 High Street, Wilburton, is a cottage, originally the Old Chequers public house. It dates back to 1662 and was extended at the east end in the 18th century. The construction is primarily red brick in a Flemish bond pattern, with a steeply pitched roof covered in plain tiles. A square red brick stack features a string course, with later courses in gault brick. A further gault brick stack is located at the east end. The original plan was of two bays, with a single range. The building has one storey and an attic, incorporating three small gable dormers with wood casements, likely dating from the 19th and 20th centuries. The ground floor has small-paned modern casements in enlarged openings, flanking a lobby entry doorway. A straight joint in the brickwork marks the boundary between the east bay extension and the original range. An outshut, probably built in the 18th century, has had its roof raised. A late 17th-century red brick barn, constructed in English bond, stands in the garden, with a pantiled roof.

Inside, back-to-back inglenook hearths have been rebuilt in the rear wall. Sections of chimney brickwork have been removed to accommodate a staircase inserted from the north side. An early 18th-century doorway, accessed from the lobby, has a half-glazed door with six glazed lights and ovolo glazing bars. It retains original glass to one pane, bearing scratchings dated 1766, 1846, and 1909; the lower stage features four raised and fielded panels. A late 17th-century door, of three rebated vertical planks with mouldings, is located in another doorway from the lobby. Other similar doors, featuring strap hinges with fleur-de-lys terminals, are also present. A first-floor door retains its original architrave with a cyma moulding. Two first-floor chambers contain original hearths; one is exposed, with painted red brickwork and a wood lintel with ogee stop chamfer. The side purlin roof has chamfered main rafters, suggesting the first-floor ceiling is a later addition.