43, West Street

No. 43 West Street is a house located in Harwich, dating from the early 19th century but with earlier origins. It features a red Flemish-bond brick front with Gault brick dressings and a gabled roof covered in clay plain tiles. The building has two storeys, attics, and a basement.

The exterior includes a plain parapet and a flat-roofed 20th-century dormer with six lights. There is a raised brick cornice band, raised brick bands between the storeys, and a high tarred plinth with moulded coping. On the first floor, there is one blind window with a stone sill, a slightly arched rubbed brick head, and a projecting brick keystone. Additionally, there are two recessed double-hung sash windows with small panes and similar detailing. The ground floor features two similar windows and an entrance door that has a semicircular brick arch supported by painted stone impost blocks, which includes an inset diamond motif. The door consists of six raised-and-fielded panels and is set back above a flight of three stone steps, with narrow moulded architraves and a plain glass fanlight. A large stack is located off-centre behind the ridge.

Inside, the house has encased spine beams and simple plaster cornices. There is one early 19th-century door with a moulded architrave and a narrow well staircase leading up to the attic level, featuring a Chinese Chippendale balustrade. The roof is constructed with joggled side purlins. The building is likely to have been extensively altered from its original 17th-century structure.