13, Gold Street

The building at 13 Gold Street, Saffron Walden is a shop dating back to the 16th century, significantly altered and refronted in the early 19th century, with a 20th-century addition. It is constructed of timber framing and brick, with peg and 20th-century tile roofs. The building has a skewed parallelogram plan.

The west-facing front elevation has two bays, with a central doorway. The northern end has a jetty supported by an original bracket. A 19th-century cornice and fascia board covers the ends, but the original moulded bressumer is visible in the centre, featuring two decorated registers: an upper one of leaves with the initials ‘IF’ and ‘AH’, and a lower one of an undulating flower and stem motif. A deep 19th-century plinth leads to a doorway approached by steps. The doorcase has consoles and panelled reveals, with a 20th-century door incorporating upper glazing of 2x3 panes. To the north, a large 19th-century jetty bracket is present. Two symmetrical, canted bay windows are set on high bases, with sash windows having 2x4, 3x4, and 2x4 panes. Above, two horned sash windows have 3x4 panes. The rear, east-facing elevation exhibits two gabled units, with a street range behind. The outer wall plate ends are exposed. The northern unit is taller with a steeper roof pitch and a gable-end external stack. The lower section of this unit is made of small bricks in English bond, with two original recessed inscribed plaques, ‘IHA’ and ‘1565’. The upper stack is made of 19th/20th-century brickwork. A mid rail and corner post are exposed over lower rendered brickwork. A 20th-century door incorporates an upper glazed panel. A first-floor framed and plastered window has glazing bars, arranged as 4x2 panes. The unit to the south has a waney edged rail exposed with a remnant of a hay loft door sill. The ground floor has a 20th-century door and fixed windows with lower boarding. The first floor has a long three-light casement window with glazing bars, arranged as 9x3 panes.

The north side elevation features two units, a street block and a rear wing with skewed axes. The street block has a hipped roof to the front and a stepped gable at the rear. The inner bressumer plate is exposed. On the ground floor, the east end has a 19th-century doorway with a door and upper glazing in an off-set fret pattern and bead moulded panelling below. A 20th-century porch has a two-light casement window with glazing bars. A simple 20th-century canopy extends over the doorway. A first-floor sliding sash window has a moulded architrave and 4x2 panes. The rear wing has a ground floor sliding sash window and a first-floor with two 20th-century casement windows of one and two lights. The south-facing elevation, to the street, is rendered on the ground floor, with a 20th-century red brick facing at first floor. A stack is located on the ridge. Framing at the western corner is now enclosed. The rear wing is rendered with 20th-century tiles. A 20th-century plain door is present, along with two first-floor casement windows of one and two lights.

Interior features are largely obscured. However, the rear framing shows mullion mortices and shutter grooves, indicating windows pre-dating the 19th-century rear stable wing when the plot was used as a yard. The building has group value.