66 And 68, High Street

Nos 66 and 68 on High Street in Great Baddow are a notable building originally constructed in the 15th to 16th century as a timber-framed and plastered house. It has undergone significant alterations in the 17th, 18th, and some in the 19th centuries. The first storey juts out over the ground floor along the entire front, with No 66 featuring a curved bracket. The building stands two storeys high and has five windows; No 66 has 20th-century casements, while No 68 displays 18th or early 19th-century double-hung sash windows with glazing bars. The ground floor includes three attractive bow shop windows from the 18th or early 19th century, also with glazing bars. There are two doorways between the windows, one featuring a six-panel door with a cornice. The roof is hipped and tiled, topped with a central chimney stack from the 16th or 17th century that has four grouped octagonal shafts. The southern part of the front (No 68) is adorned with a paired modillion eaves cornice, while the northern side of No 66 has an 18th-century moulded wood cornice. Inside, the building boasts richly moulded ceiling beams with brackets and pendants, along with original doors and windows. The roof retains original timbers, including a fine crown post with hollow chamfers. Notably, there is a beautiful 17th-century painted ceiling featuring floral designs on the first storey. This building is part of a group that includes Nos 66 to 78 (even) and 57 to 61 (odd), along with Munnions, Banstreets, Bell Street, the Church of St Mary, and the Vicarage on Church Street.