71, Castle Street

This is a late 16th-century house, originally the Castle Inn, which was refronted and had its interior reconstructed in the early 18th century, and later restored in the 20th century. The building is timber-framed, with plaster infill and some red brick, and has a peg-tiled roof. It has an L-shaped layout, comprising an original street range and a rear wing, with a further addition in the rear internal angle.

The front, or south, elevation is faced in red brick, with some remains of tuck pointing, and features gauged brick window dressings with good voussoirs, moulded and modillioned timber eaves, and a hipped roof with end stacks. The elevation has six bays, with a string course marking the floor level. All windows are now 19th-century horned sash windows. The front doorway, in the third bay from the east, has a flat hood with console brackets, a six-panelled door (with lower flush panels), and cellar trap doors towards the west end. A wrought-iron stay for an inn sign is located in the centre of the front wall.

The west end has a brick front range, a timber-framed and plastered short rear wing housing the stair, and features the continuation of the modillioned eaves from the front elevation. A catslide roof slopes down at the north end, with a red brick stack rising through the roof pitch. There is a 20th-century casement window on the first floor of the street range and another at mid height in the stair tower, along with a small 2x2-pane window at the junction with the rear unit. The east end has timber-framed and plastered walls with a brick front wall, and is distinguished by the continuation of the modillioned eaves cornice.

The rear, or north, elevation is complex, composed of four elements stepping forward and all rendered. It features a high stair tower with an adjacent stack, a broad gabled block with a ground floor 2-light window and a 3-light window above (both 20th century), a lower gabled unit with a lean-to doorway and catslide roof, and a weatherboarded, single-storey unit extending to the north.

Inside, the principal rooms have good early 18th-century panelling, both fielded and shallow ovolo types, along with contemporary fielded panelled doors. The early 18th-century stair in the stair tower has moulded handrails and turned balusters. The main ground floor rooms retain late 16th-century moulded bridging joists; the eastern end has roll and hollow chamfer with bar stops, while the western end has double rolls. The rear wing also dates back to the late 16th century, with exposed timber framing; the first floor has been removed, but the joints of a 3-light diamond mullioned window remain visible. The roof is of wind braced side purlin type. A brick arched doorway leads from the rear range down to the cellar below the main range.