53, Traps Hill

No. 53 Traps Hill is a house dating from the 17th century that has been extensively altered in the 19th century. It features a timber-framed and brick construction with a stucco finish and a slate roof. The building has a near-square plan from the 17th century, which was extended to the northeast and east in the 19th century, and refronted to the northwest during the same period.

The house is two storeys tall. On the ground floor, there is a four-panel door with a light above it set in a shallow doorcase, which is an early 19th-century feature. There is also one double-hung sash window with 12 lights from the early 19th century, a bow of double-hung sash windows with a configuration of 4-12-4 lights from the early 19th century, and a bay of three double-hung sash windows with four lights from the late 19th century. The first floor has windows similar to those on the ground floor, including one double-hung sash window with four lights from the late 19th century located above the door. The building has a parapet and two string courses, while the roofs of the rear wings are covered with handmade red clay tiles.

This building originally formed part of a 'Unit System' group with Priors, now known as No. 7 Rowans Way, which was the first identified in Essex. Its history and ownership are documented in K. L. Sandall's work, "The Unit System in Essex," published in the Archaeological Journal, volume 130, in 1975.