The Gun House

The Gun House is a hall house, originally built in the 15th century or earlier, extended during the 16th century and again in the 19th century. Mainly timber framed and plastered, with sections of painted brick in English bond, the building is roofed with handmade red clay tiles.

The structure comprises a 3-bay hall aligned north-east to south-west (15th century or earlier), a 2-bay south-west crosswing of brick dating to the late 16th century with a contemporary external chimney stack on the south-west wall, and a 3-bay north-east crosswing with a central chimney stack built around 1600, which projects on three sides. A stair tower occupies the south angle, also dating to around 1600, creating an H-plan arrangement. A single-storey extension to the south-east of the south-west wing was added in the 19th century. The building rises to two storeys and attics in the north-east wing, one storey and attic in the hall range, and two storeys in the south-west wing.

On the north-west elevation, there is a half-glazed door, two 20th-century casement windows, and two 20th-century double-hung sash windows. The north-east wing is distinguished by a moulded bressumer. The south-west wing splays at ground-floor level with a blocked original window in each splay, one displaying a 2-centred arch, and features a jetty above. The first floor has three 20th-century casement windows, one set within a gabled dormer. The attic floor contains one 19th or 20th-century casement window. The south-west chimney stack displays grouped diagonal shafts and was rebuilt at its top.

The interior reveals jowled posts and heavy studding throughout. The hall contains an internal jetty at its north-east end, a rare feature in Essex, and the line of the cross-entry below remains in use. Exposed studding with display bracing survives at ground-floor level on the south-west end. A floor is inserted on pegged clamps, dating to the late 16th century. The main tiebeam is steeply cambered, originally with deep arched braces which have been cut back. The roof was originally of crownpost construction but was rebuilt in the 17th century in clasped purlin form, with a few pairs of smoke-blackened rafters surviving in place. At the north-east end, the upper studs retain original plastered wattle and daub infill, heavily smoke-blackened.

The south-west crosswing features a plain-chamfered binding beam with lamb's tongue stops and late 16th-century oak panelling on the north-east wall. Similar panelling exists on the south-east wall of the hall. The north-east crosswing is divided at both floors into two and one bays respectively, with an arched doorhead between them on the first floor, now partly obscured by modern timber. The binding beams are plain-chamfered with lamb's tongue stops, and plain joists of square section are present. On the upper floor, arched bracing is trenched inside the studding. A 17th-century inserted ceiling above the first floor sits on plain-chamfered beams with lamb's tongue stops. The roof is of clasped purlin construction.

The house was originally arranged with the service end to the north-east and the parlour or solar end to the south-west. In the late 16th century, the original parlour or solar end was demolished and replaced by the present brick wing. A chimney stack was inserted near the south-west end of the hall, which now terminates below roof level, and a floor was inserted in the hall. About the end of the 16th century, as standards of domestic accommodation improved, the original service end was demolished and the present north-east wing was built as a parlour and solar, reversing the house's earlier arrangement. In the 19th century, a service wing was added to the south-west wing and still retains that function.

The building's position only 60 metres from the church suggests it was originally a priest's house. Its former name confirms that it became a parsonage following the Reformation.