56, Castle Street

This is an early 19th-century house located on Castle Street in Saffron Walden. The building is constructed of grey gault brick, with brick and cobble panels, and has a slate roof. It has a rectangular plan, featuring a street-facing range and a full-width, integral rear wing. The house extends over two storeys and includes a cellar.

The north-facing front elevation has a two-window range with a central doorway. The brickwork retains much of its original black colourwash and mortar, with tucked pointing. Giant pilasters support a plain entablature, and the central upper panel is decorated with a Greek key motif, all rendered in stucco. The eaves soffit is similarly decorated with "jewel" motifs. The windows have slightly segmental heads with stucco voussoirs, and are sash windows with 3x4 panes of glazing bars, some of which are early glass. The doorway has a flat cornice hood and a simple entablature with recessed, moulded panels containing nail head decoration on the jambs. The contemporary door has two recessed panels with roundels. Cellar grilles are located on either side of the doorway.

The south-facing rear elevation features a broad, two-storey gabled wing, constructed of brick with flint cobble panels and a rendered gable. A first-floor casement window has 2x3 panes of glass, though the rest of the rear elevation is obscured. The west-facing elevation is blank.