39, WEST STREET (See details for further address information)

39 West Street is a house located in Harwich, dating from the mid-17th century to the 18th century. It features a timber-framed structure with a rendered brick front and a parapet, topped by a gabled roof covered in clay plain tiles.

The exterior consists of two storeys and attics, with two hipped dormers that have moulded eaves and 2-light casements. The rebuilt panelled parapet is complemented by deep projecting bands below it and at the first-floor level. On the first floor, there is one double-hung sash window with small square panes and one narrow similar window. The ground floor has a similar double-hung sash window and a pedimented doorcase with an Ionic frieze that breaks forward over Corinthianesque pilaster capitals adorned with grotesque masks. The entrance features a recessed six-panel door with glazed top panels and three stone steps. A gable end stack is located to the north.

At the rear, there is a long two-storey gabled block with a plain clay tile roof that incorporates No. 3A Newhaven Lane. This section has a large square ridgeline stack and a Welsh slate lean-to roofed stair tower that rises above the eaves line.

Inside, the entrance passage includes a partition of panelling and an elliptical rear arch with a keystone and panelled pilasters. The front ground-floor room boasts a fine corner cupboard with a semi-domed head, semicircular shelving, and later enclosing doors, with a curved brick wall behind it to accommodate the cupboard. The front rooms feature boxed spine beams. The first-floor front room has an exposed jowled post and an early 19th-century fire surround. There are sections of 17th-century-style panelling and 18th-century panelled and boarded doors. A projecting single bay of framing at the rear has a chamfered spine beam and a contemporary bridging joist, along with a wide elliptical-plan fireplace, which likely served as the original kitchen. A tight winder stair leads to the attic at the rear. All roofs have joggled side purlins, likely of 'A' frame type, showcasing high-quality and complete 17th and 18th-century interiors.