51, High Street

House, now shop and restaurant. Early 16th century, extended in early 17th century and early 19th century. Timber-framed, plastered and weatherboarded, roofed with handmade red clay tiles.

The main range consists of four bays facing north-west, with two 18th or 19th century external stacks at the left end, and an incomplete 16th century internal stack in the second bay from the left end, positioned in front of the axis. An early 19th century one-bay wing extends to the rear of the left bay. An early 17th century two-bay wing extends to the rear near the right end, followed by two 19th century extensions beyond, one storey and two-storey respectively. The building is two storeys and attic in height. A single-storey lean-to, roofed with corrugated asbestos, sits between the rear wings.

The front elevation features two 20th century shopfronts, each with a half-glazed door, and between them one sash window of 3+3 vertical lights, probably mid-19th century. On the first floor, there is one mid-19th century sash of 3+3 vertical lights at the left, and two 20th century sashes of 3+3 and 2+2 lights respectively. One collar of the crownpost roof is exposed in the left gable. Two wrought-iron gutter brackets appear on the left side of the left rear wing. The right end of the main range abuts No. 53 and is weatherboarded within the cartway. The right side of the right rear wing is weatherboarded on the ground floor and plastered above, featuring one early 19th century sash of 5+10 lights on the ground floor and one early 19th century casement of 4+4+4 lights above. The left side of this wing displays some 18th century plaster in lateral chevrons pattern below the eaves. The rear elevation of the main range has on the first floor one early 19th century casement of eight lights (between the rear wings) and one of six lights (at the right end). The rear elevation of the rear left wing has on the ground floor one early 19th century sash of 6+6 lights and a defective early 19th century casement above, with a hipped roof. The rear right wing displays two 19th century Tudor Revival grouped diagonal shafts.

Interior

The long jetty is underbuilt, with the jetty plate and all the studding below it removed, and the bressumer mutilated and partly boxed. Joists are plastered to the soffits; exposed beams in the right bay are not original. Rear studs, where present, are 0.33 metres apart. The ground-floor partition between the two right bays retains some studding and one of two curved display braces trenched to the left of them, indicating that this is the "high end" of a medieval three-part plan, with parlour to the right. A chamfered beam crosses the "hall" with mitred stops. The ground floor of the left bay is wholly plastered and ceiled. In the rear wall, the girt has two diamond mortices of a former unglazed window and a groove for a sliding shutter; studs below are missing. The internal stack is converted for use as a wine bin and is truncated below roof level. Jowled posts are present, some with jowls partly hacked away. The open truss between the two middle bays has a chamfered cambered tie-beam, formerly with two deep arched braces, both now removed. An early 19th century two-panel pine door stands to the right; a 17th century small borrowed light to the left features one diamond saddle bar and modern glass on the wrong side. Many original rebated hardwood floorboards remain. An early 19th century straight stair has on the first floor a simple chamfered newel, handrail, and stick balusters. Edge-halved and bridled scarfs appear in both wallplates.

The crownpost roof is ceiled in the right bay and complete and exposed in other bays. The central crownpost (of the open truss) is square, chamfered with plain stops, with four-way arched braces of unusual shape, cranked on the upper edge and evenly curved below, with three axial braces. Much original wattle and daub infill survives in the studded partitions in the roof. The entire visible structure of the roof bears original red paint. The roof of the rear right wing is of clasped purlin form, without an internal tie-beam. The wing beyond was probably originally a stable with hayloft, now converted for use as a bakery.

A photograph taken by Fred Spalding around 1903 shows the main stack complete, described in the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England volume 8 as "a central chimney-stack with flat pilasters". The left first-floor window was as at present, but the others were early 19th century sashes of 10+10 and 8+8 lights respectively. A photograph taken around 1920 shows the present sashes.