4, Market Hill

This is a shop and office range situated on Market Hill and The Cockpit in Saffron Walden. The building's core dates to the 15th century but was significantly altered around 1800 with a new facade, new window openings, and shop fronts added to both streets. Minor 20th-century adaptations have also been made. The structure is timber-framed and has a peg-tiled roof, forming an L-shaped plan around the street corner.

The west front, facing Market Hill, features a gabled, jettied block to the south. A prominent bracket projects from the angle post, supporting a jetty that extends along Emson Close; the rest of the jetty is largely concealed except for the bracket at the north end. A large 19th-century shop bay window, with a brick plinth and glazing bars arranged as 8x3 panes, is prominent. Above it, a tripartite sash window from around 1800 has moulded architraves and glazing bars in a 1x4,3x4,1x4 pane arrangement. A sliding sash window, also from around 1800 and with 6x3 panes, sits above the tripartite window.

The south front, facing Emson Close, is divided into three sections. The western section showcases a well-preserved early 19th-century shop window built forward along the street curve, with glazing bars and some original glass in 5x2 panes. Next to it is a contemporary doorway with a moulded architrave and overlight; the door itself is a 20th-century replacement with a small upper light. The shop and door unit continues to the east with a long, fixed window with 10x2 panes. To the west, a doorway is recessed from Market Hill and features a decorative cast-iron grille over the door. The door is a 20th-century replacement with a 2x3 pane upper light. A three-cant 19th-century sash bay window is located above the shop projection on the west end and a single 19th-century sash window (3x2 panes) on the east end.

The central section is three windows wide, with timber-framing and colourwashed brick above ground floor level. Three 19th-century sash windows with glazing bars are present on the first floor, one with 4x2 panes and two with 3x2 panes. The ground floor has a 20th-century three-light casement (3x2 panes) and a long, 20th-century fixed window (5x2 panes). The easternmost section is timber-framed and weatherboarded, built over a brick ground floor. A slated roof tops this section. The ground floor features a 20th-century boarded door flanked by 20th-century casement windows (3x2 and 2x2 panes). A 19th-century sash window with a moulded architrave (3x3 panes) is situated on the first floor.

The rear of the building has a narrow yard with rendered timber framing and mainly early 20th-century casement windows. Inside, the basic timber framing of the long rear range is visible. Heavy ground floor ceiling joists are present in the jettied block. A bay fronting Market Hill reveals heavily sooted roof rafters, indicating it was once part of a medieval open hall. This represents the lower half of what was probably a medieval hall house, with the north end having been lost. If this is the case, it would have originally resembled numbers 12 and 14 Market Hill. Historical records document a 17th-century panelled door and a dado of the same date, though these are no longer present.