Post Office and Village Shop

The Post Office and Village Shop in Great Oakley is a building that dates back to the 17th century or earlier, with a re-fronting completed in the late 18th century, and further alterations and additions made in the 19th and 20th centuries. It features a timber-framed core with a rendered brick facade and a wood and glass shop front.

The building has a two-bay front, with the shop located on the ground floor and a residence above and behind. The main elevation showcases a late-18th century shop front that includes a central doorcase flanked by a pair of rounded advanced shop windows. There is a continuous cornice with diamond and dentil decoration at the base of the frieze. The central doorcase has a recessed door with four panes, flanked by fluted pilasters beneath ogee brackets that support a flat hood. The shop windows consist of five-over-five large panes above a wood plinth, with fluted pilasters under shallow console brackets on the outside. To the left of the shop front, there is a lower door under a hood supported by a pair of console brackets.

Inside, the ground floor features exposed beams, some of which are chamfered and others with redundant joist mortises, along with joists in both front bays. The surviving framing on the first floor includes a beam with central posts, joists, and the original front wall plate. There are plank and four-panel doors leading to the first floor. A 19th-century extension at the rear of the ground floor includes a fireplace and a pair of glazed doors set in a splayed panelled surround. There are 20th-century additions to the side and rear that are not of interest.

Overall, the building boasts an elaborate and well-preserved late-18th century shop front, along with a significant amount of framing from the earlier house behind.