1, Brickhouse Road

House, circa 1300, altered in the 16th century and 1985. Timber framed, plastered, and roofed with handmade red clay tiles.

The building comprises two bays of an aisled hall aligned north-east to south-west, with an 18th or 19th-century axial stack in the south-west bay and an originally storeyed parlour or solar bay to the south-west. Both aisles are present. A crosswing to the north-east was added in 1985. The structure is one storey with attics.

The south-east elevation has two hardwood casements and two further casements in gabled dormers, all inserted in 1985. A 20th-century half-glazed door is also present. The mainspan measures 3.75 metres between post surfaces, with each aisle span measuring 0.69 metre. The parlour or solar bay is 3.05 metres long and the 'high end' bay of the hall is 1.82 metres long. Originally a third hall bay and a service bay extended beyond this point, but these are now missing. The hall is truncated by an old brick wall, now incorporated in the 1985 crosswing.

Six arcade posts survive, of which the two north-east posts are severed at first-floor level and supported on a transverse beam. A mortice in the north-west arcade plate indicates the former position of another arcade post, part of a spere truss, beyond which no original structure remains. The arcade posts are scribed to fit the original waney surface of the arcade plates, and those of the hall are trenched for passing-braces to the north-east. All posts are unjowled.

Two sections of the north-west arcade plate remain in situ; the south-west bay has been replaced with a later hardwood plate. Near the north-east end, one slightly curved arcade brace of square section, unchamfered, is tenoned to the arcade plate, with an empty mortice indicating the former position of another. Rising mortices in the posts mark the positions of other arcade braces and braces to the tiebeams; only the south-west tiebeam survives in situ. The south-east arcade plate has been replaced with later hardwood. All original timbers of the hall are heavily smoke-blackened.

Diamond mortices in the north-west wallplate indicate the position of an original hall window. The form of the aisles is present, though much replacement hardwood is evident elsewhere.

The parlour or solar bay is largely intact. Two slightly curved arcade braces, chamfered with run-out stops, are lap-jointed to the north-west arcade plate. The north-west aisle wall retains original studs at approximately 0.30-metre intervals and one curved tension brace trenched to the outside—a rare survival. A short section of the north-west wallplate has been replaced, joined to the original with an edge-halved and bridled scarf, indicating a 15th or 16th-century repair.

In the soffit of the south-west tiebeam, three diamond mortices indicate the position of an original central window. The sill is missing, but mortices in the posts mark its former position. The east arcade post of the parlour is rebated for a door between hall and parlour, and retains on the hall side a short length of slightly curved passing-brace and the matrix of an open notched lap joint with refined entry for a rising brace.

The original floor structure is intact, comprising longitudinal plain joists of horizontal section and a trimmed stair trap against the partition. Due to subsidence or rising ground level, the joists have been raised 0.38 metre. Some smoke-blackened rafters remain in situ, re-set. One has two trenches for a gable smoke vent and another has a peghole for the vent structure; others have a single trench for a collar.

Two features of this building are rare or possibly unique: the surviving part of the north-west aisle wall and the combination of lap-jointed and tenoned braces to the same arcade plate. This is the oldest secular building in the parish. Measured drawings by R. Shackle of the Essex Historic Buildings Group have been deposited with Essex Record Office and the National Monuments Record.