170-173, MOULSHAM STREET

Shops, offices, and flats dating from the mid-16th century were refronted in the late 19th century. The buildings are timberframed with a rendered brick front and have roofs of clay plain tiles, decorative ridge tiles, and a brick chimneystack. They are two storeys high and have six windows. The window at number 170 is a three-light casement with small panes. Windows at numbers 171 and 173 are double-hung sashes, each with a tripartite design and a smaller central window; these are replicas dating from 1993 with small panes. A 20th-century shopfront with a fascia and blind bow is present at number 170, while numbers 171–173 have a 19th-century shopfront with a fascia and end consoles. A parapet features three gable-like raisings, each with a pendant shaft on a moulded corbel. An elaborate, moulded rainwater head from the late 19th century is accompanied by a downpipe. Extensive 20th-century additions have been made to the rear. The timber frame consists of four nearly equal bays, exhibiting jowled posts, halved and bridled scarf joints, and a significant amount of reused timber. The roof is a simple crownpost construction with longitudinal bracing; remains of 17th-century painted decoration were previously visible. Number 170 contains a blocked diamond-mullioned window. The early date of the construction, within the Essex context, and the substantial use of reused timber may indicate that timber was already scarce or expensive by the mid-16th century.