14 And 15, Market Hill

House, now shop and house, at Coggeshall Market Hill on the south-east side. Built circa 1600 and altered in the 19th century.

The building is timber-framed with plaster and some painted brick, exposed framing visible at the rear, and roofed with handmade red plain tiles and slate. It comprises a main range of 3 bays facing north-west with an axial stack in the middle bay, and 2 bays at the right end angled sharply backwards to face west-south-west with an axial stack at the right end. There is a rear wing of 2 bays at the left end with an original stack at the junction, and an adjacent rear wing of one bay to the right of it, plus a 19th-century external stack. The building was originally 2 storeys, with the right 3 bays of the main range raised to 3 storeys in the early 19th century. It includes a cellar and attics.

The left 2 bays have ground-floor windows comprising one sash of 4 lights and one tripartite sash of 2-2-2 lights, both of late 19th-century date. The first floor features one splayed oriel of late 19th-century sashes of 2-4-2 lights and one early 19th-century sash of 16 lights, the latter with a late 19th-century cast iron window-box holder. A moulded 5-panel door sits in a late 19th-century doorcase with jewel heads to the pilasters and a moulded shallow canopy. The ground floor is faced with painted 19th-century brickwork, possibly concealing an underbuilt jetty. A moulded parapet and steep tiled roof complete this section.

The 3 right bays feature a late 19th-century corner shopfront with a window to each side and a half-glazed door at the angle, with a plain overlight, 6 pilasters with cyma capitals, a 4-panel door to the left with plain overlight, and continuous fascia and moulded cornice over all. To the right is one 20th-century window in a 19th-century aperture with segmental brick arch in painted brick. The first and second floors have 3 early 19th-century sashes of 16, 12 and 12 lights respectively, with crown glass, the lower left window having a late 19th-century cast iron window-box holder. A slate roof of shallow pitch with long overhanging eaves covers this section.

At the rear, the longer wing was originally jettied on 3 elevations, now underbuilt at the sides only, with exposed joists of square section. The ground floor has one original window with one ovolo mullion and one of 2 diamond saddle bars, and one early 19th-century sash of 4+8 lights. The first floor displays exposed studding, mortices for a former oriel, one early 19th-century sash of 16 lights (defective), and flanking windows on each side with one ovolo mullion and 2 diamond saddle bars each. The attic storey has one early 19th-century sash of 10+10 lights (defective).

The shorter rear wing has an underbuilt jetty with similar exposed joists. The ground floor contains one early 19th-century sash of 5+10 lights. The first floor shows exposed studding and an original frieze window of 3-4-3 lights with all diamond saddle bars complete in the outer lights, a rare survival. The attic storey has one early 19th-century sash of 10+10 lights (defective).

An inserted axial beam above the first floor is exposed externally. Straight bracing is trenched to the outside of the studding. Chisel-cut carpenters' assembly marks are visible.

At the angle of the main range is an early 19th-century half-glazed door, and on the first floor of the next bay is an early 19th-century sash of 12 lights.

The original stack between the left bay of the main range and the left rear wing has a blocked ground-floor hearth at the front and at the rear a wide wood-burning hearth with chamfered depressed arch and rear splays. On the first floor is a blocked hearth at the front and a 20th-century grate at the rear. To the left of the blocked ground-floor hearth is an 18th-century cupboard with semi-circular arch, spheroid interior and profiled shelves. An original moulded door gives access to the cellar.

The axial stack features on the ground floor an early 19th-century panelled fire surround and an arched recess beside it. On the first floor is a wide wood-burning hearth with depressed arch, reduced for an early 19th-century hearth with moulded surround and paterae. Also on the first floor is an 18th-century corner cupboard with doors of 8 fielded panels, fluted pilasters and profiled shelves.

Internally, most of the frame is plastered, with exposed chamfered beams with lamb's tongue and notch stops, and dragon beams in the longer rear wing. A first-floor door into this wing is original, of 2 moulded wide planks on battens. Another door within the first floor is of 2 pine panels with pencilled graffiti dating from the Boer War.

This house was formerly called Lady Ventriss's or Constantine's, from Richard Constantine who was the owner in the reign of James I. It is listed at the higher grade for its exterior features at the rear, for its internal features, and as an exceptionally complete house of its period with only one major phase of alteration, in the early 19th century.