The Chestnuts

The Chestnuts is a house, now used as offices, that dates from the 16th and 18th centuries. It is timber framed and plastered, generally standing at two storeys. The building has a square plan with a front block and a long two-storey wing extending to the rear, along with an additional block that projects towards the west.

The front elevation facing Stortford Road features a hipped peg tiled roof, a large rectangular stack positioned off-center, and an attic dormer with a semi-circular pediment. There are four double-hung sash windows with glazing bars on each floor, with a gap in the center and imitation timber framing. At the western end, there is a wall with a relocated late 18th-century doorcase that includes pilasters, scroll brackets, a flat hood, and a panelled frieze.

The western elevation has similar double-hung sash windows in the front range, along with a mid-18th-century doorcase that features a carved acanthus leaf and scroll brackets supporting a flat hood over an eight-panel door with a late 18th-century knocker. There is a 19th-century open arcade in front of the ground floor, covered by a glass roof.

The rear wing has a gabled peg tiled roof at the northern end and features double-hung sash windows with small panes and very wide glazing bars, along with some old pargetting. The block extending to the west has a gabled peg tiled roof, with exposed timber framing on the western end and part of the southern elevation being black boarded. It includes one cast iron casement window with leaded lights on the first floor and 20th-century casements.

Inside, there is a fine early 18th-century dog-leg staircase leading up to the attics, featuring hardwood twisted balusters and newels. The entrance hall has elliptical arches, and the entire front block showcases early to mid-18th-century panelling and fire surrounds. The rear block, dating from the early 16th century, has exposed framing inside, with a central tenon and soffit shoulder joists. The northern end is framed as a crosswing and appears to be of an earlier build, featuring one fireplace with a Vitruvian scroll overmantel frieze. The block extending to the west has reused framing and a central stack.