The Cock Inn

The Cock Inn is an inn that dates from the late 16th century or early 17th century, with an extension at the rear. It features a timber frame with plaster rendering and a tiled roof that has a ridge stack from the late 17th or early 18th century, which includes recesses on each face. The building has a baffle entry plan with a contemporary crosswing at the west end. The main range is one storey with an attic, and the plaster walls are decorated with a scallop border at the eaves and around some openings, likely dating to around 1712. There are three 19th-century dormers with reset lion head masks on the gables, and two hung sashes flanking the baffle entry doorway. Above the doorway is a small original closet window with leaded cames. The east gable features a scallop border that is interrupted by a lead roundel displaying trade signs, including a pike, flask, corkscrew, glass, and stock for brick making. The west crosswing is two storeys tall, with a jettied first floor supported by scroll brackets adorned with acanthus foliage. Each storey has one window, including a twelve-pane hung sash on the ground floor. A club room has been added to the north end of the crosswing. Inside, there are arch-braced tie beams and a rebuilt inglenook in the main range. The ceiling has light framing that suggests it may have been inserted or rebuilt at a later date. An inn has existed on this site since 1435, and it is believed that the current structure was built by John Russell in the late 16th century. In his will of 1583, he left gifts to the poor of Waresley and Gamlingay and requested that a memorial be erected on the house end of the inn, which may relate to the emblems found at the east end, although they resemble 18th-century plasterwork at No 36 Church Street.