38 And 40, Brook Street

This is a late 16th-century house, originally forming a 4-bay structure, and subsequently divided into two separate dwellings at numbers 38 and 40, Brook Street. The building has been altered in the 19th and 20th centuries. It is timber-framed with plaster infill and a roof covered in handmade red tiles. The original lobby-entrance plan was disrupted by an axial stack that now divides the two properties. A catslide roof extension runs along the rear, with two later conservatories or glazed porches added. The house has one storey with attics. The front features four 20th-century casement windows and two additional windows set in gabled half-dormers. There are two 20th-century doors within gabled porches. The roof has been raised, and the axial stack features concertina shafts that have been reduced in height. A shortened external stack is located at the right end of the building. Jowled posts are also present.

Inside number 38, the right bay contains plain, horizontally sectioned longitudinal joists. The left bay features a chamfered axial beam and similarly chamfered joists of horizontal section, both with lambs' tongue stops. An internal partition displays curved braces set into heavy studs. At the upper floor, a 17th-century doorway was inserted, but is now blocked. A large wood-burning hearth is situated on the right wall, with a cupboard in the right jamb, though the door is missing. The interior of number 40 has not been inspected.