13, Market Hill

This commercial property on Market Hill in Saffron Walden was built in 1864. It is constructed of grey gault brick with a slate roof and a red brick stack. The building has an irregular L-shaped plan, extending along the street and with rear additions. The front, east-facing elevation rises with the hill, sloping to the south. The tuck-pointed brickwork features deep eaves with modillions, and a stack at the southern end. The upper floor has four windows, each with stucco voussoirs, sash windows with a 4x4 pane arrangement, and intricate glazing bars. The doorway, between the second and third windows from the north, features Doric fluted jambs, a triglyph frieze, a shallow cornice hood, fielded panels, and a decorative over-light. Modern shop windows flank the door on either side, beneath a cornice with a simple fascia board. A tapered plinth gives way to a cellar grille at the south end. The rear, west-facing elevation includes irregular additions and a three-window range on the upper floor, with segment-headed sash windows with 3x4 panes, as well as a 20th-century casement. A ground-floor French window with 4x4 panes and a felt-roofed lean-to with a 19th-century casement window are also present. A recess under a wide timber lintel, believed to have once been a carriageway to the rear, contains two windows: a 2-light casement and a partly obscured sash with a 3x4 pane arrangement. Attached lean-to structures, with felt roofs and 19th-century windows and doors, are positioned along the western side. The rear wall of the house incorporates a deep, slated, two-story lean-to with two flat-roofed dormer windows behind, featuring 2-light casements with 4x3 panes and a skylight. Two red brick stacks are located at the southern end. The northern bay of the roof is slated with a subsidiary gable, sharing a stack with the adjacent property at No. 15.

The interior retains original features, including a staircase with recessed panelled square newel posts, turned balusters, and panelled shutters for the stair window. An original six-panelled door leads to the rear. The cellar is constructed of brick and flint with a brick arch and triple arches at the south end. A sliding sash window with 6x2 panes is present in the cellar. A ground-floor room at the rear contains a large round-headed safe, believed to date from the building’s earlier use as Gibson’s Bank prior to the construction of the new bank in Market Place in 1874. The building subsequently served as the post office from 1881.