Merchants House

Merchant's House is a storeyed house dating to circa 1500, restored in 1976-7, with renewed details. It is of group value. The house is constructed of roughcast and colourwashed timber frame on a brick plinth, with a plaintiled roof. The plan comprises an east-west range containing a ground-floor hall of two storeys, and a cross wing to the east, which was completely rebuilt in 1977.

The east-west range is a two-storey block with a two-window range. The jettied first floor has a multiple roll-moulded bressumer copied from a fragment attached to the centre of the wall, with three-light casement windows. The roof is hipped with a rebuilt stack on the front slope. The west return features a gabled porch and a single-light window. The north front has five casement windows arranged over two storeys. The two-storey west cross wing is jettied on three sides to brick lower walls, with a gabled roof and two- or three-light casements. The upper floor of the cross wing is a rebuilt timber-framed dairy building from Little Barrington Hall.

The entrance porch in the west return protects a three-plank 16th-century door with strap hinges. An inserted corridor runs along the north side, with a 1977 staircase to the first floor. The outer north wall retains sole plates, middle rails, and studs, with one stud bearing a floral painting of the early 16th century, and further painting on the middle rail. A multiple roll-moulded bridging beam passes through a partition into the west room (former parlour). Plain ceiling joists are present. Most of the studwork to the walls remains intact, including an arched brace in the south-west corner, together with a three-plank 16th-century door. A curved, rebuilt brick fireplace has a chamfered bressumer.

The ground-floor hall to the east of the stack is entered through a doorway with a three-plank 16th-century door on pin hinges. A similar door leads to a cupboard under the staircase. The hall features multiple roll-moulded bridging beams in a double cruciform formation, and joists with tongue stops. A wide fireplace has a chamfered bressumer. A painted panel, reset in the south wall, shows foliage patterns. The east rooms are entirely from 1977.

On the first floor, a partitioned corridor runs along the north side, exhibiting jowled principal studs and smaller secondary studs. One three-light diamond-mullioned window is in the north wall (boarded on the exterior). The west room has arched braces to the south and west walls, and plain chamfered bridging beams. A brick fireplace has a cambered and chamfered bressumer, with a floral painting on one south stud. The room above the hall has a similar, larger, fireplace, full studwork to the south wall, and cruciform chamfered bridging beams. The east cross wing reuses plain studs, wall plates, and bridging beams from the dairy at Little Barrington Hall. The roof was rebuilt in 1977 and contains two 16th-century tie beams with mortice slots for queen posts.