18 And 19, The Street

A public building, now two cottages, dating back to the 16th century, with alterations made in the 19th century. The building is timber framed and has been roughcast rendered, with a roof covered in handmade red plain tiles. It comprises three bays facing northeast, featuring an inserted stack behind the ridge to the right of the centre. Rear extensions were added in the 19th century. The building has two storeys and a three-window front with 20th-century metal casement windows. There are two 19th-century doors. A full-length jetty is rendered over the front. The structure exhibits jowled posts and chamfered axial and transverse beams with run-out stops. While largely concealed by plaster, the timber frame originally likely consisted of one undivided space on each floor. The building displays a quality plain aesthetic, with a clasped purlin roof. Due to its design, a public use is probable from its original construction. Historical records, including the will of John Bolthood in 1471, mention a guild of St. Mary, suggesting the building may have originally served as a guildhall. Alternatively, it could be a post-Reformation public building of secular use, similar to the Marriage Feast House at Matching.