Ray Place Farmhouse

Ray Place Farmhouse is a house dating from the 16th century, with significant additions in the early 18th century and extensions in the 20th. It is constructed of timber framing, plaster, and weatherboarding, with red and black brick in Flemish and stretcher bonds, and has a roof of handmade red clay tiles.

The original 16th-century section comprises two bays aligned north-south, featuring an axial stack and, to the northeast, a parallel range built in the early 18th century that faces east. This later range has external stacks at each end. At the south end of the front range is a 20th-century single-storey lean-to with a weatherboarded loft above. A 20th-century single-storey extension and gabled porch are situated in the northwest angle, and a single-storey ancillary range, also weatherboarded and with matching tiles, adjoins the northern side of the front range.

The symmetrical front elevation has a five-window range of 20th-century sash windows, each with six-over-six lights, set within original openings. These windows have flat arches of gauged brick, with the lower two ground-floor windows having curved soffits. The central door has six fielded panels, which have been repaired or extended at the bottom, and is topped by a moulded architrave with a canopy supported by profiled brackets. Brick inscriptions on the front elevation, including "EG. 1721", "I.G.", "H.G.", "1726", "A.S 1787", and "A.F.F. 1867", likely indicate the owners and construction dates of the front range. A moulded and modillioned wooden eaves cornice runs along the roofline, which is hipped and incorporates two 20th-century dormers with shallow segmental gables.

The interior has been altered significantly. Exposed hardwood studding and primary straight bracing with chisel-cut assembly marks are visible on the first floor of the rear wall of the 16th-century range. In the 18th-century range, an axial beam with mortices for missing studs and a triangular groove for wattle infill remains, along with plain vertical section joists. A half-cellar is located at the left end. The brick front elevation exhibits similarities to that of No.98, High Street, Ingatestone.