4, High Street

No. 4 High Street, Saffron Walden

This is a timber-framed house of late 14th and late 15th century date, rendered with some exposed framing and 20th century pargetting. The roof is covered in plain tiles with a gabled front, though the rear block has a slate roof with a hip to the east. The building is two storeys with attics.

The plan consists of a central hall with two cross-wings. The north cross-wing on the High Street elevation displays a pargetted gable with a 6-paned 20th century casement and a first floor of mostly original exposed framing. All windows on this front are 20th century small-paned casements. The first floor contains large square corner posts, tension braces and a moulded tie-beam. The first floor openings appear to have originally been a pair of flush windows with arched heads, as surviving examples on the north demonstrate. Remnants of a small 17th century window remain inserted. The ground floor front jetty is exposed above a 20th century small-paned bow window, with projecting floor joists showing mortices for end and central brackets. The corner to the northwest has a dragon post with a moulded capital and oversized brattishing. The elevation to the hall features a gabled dormer in the roof with one 6-paned 20th century casement. The first floor has exposed framing that is not original, over a 20th century doorcase with a gable and sidelights. The front of the south cross-wing has a 20th century pargetted gable with a casement and a first floor of reused exposed timber that does not respect the original design. The exposed jetty below has mortices for 4 jetty brackets, probably indicating a central window. A large-paned 20th century bow window is present. The north flank of the north cross-wing is jettied to the path leading to the churchyard. The framing is exposed and has corner tension traces and an original 2-light window with cinquefoiled arched heads and carved spandrels. Originally a similar window existed on the west end of this wall over the dragon beam. A corbelled brick stack under the jetty has 2 linked octagonal shafts above the eaves, possibly of 17th century date. The ground floor is rendered with 2 original exposed jetty brackets. The geometry of this cross-wing is slightly skewed to accommodate an angled side boundary. The rear of the north wing has exposed framing in the gable with a down-braced crown-post and a rear plain-tile roofed lean-to. The rear of the hall has a catslide and plain-tile extension with a stack rising through the roof slope. The south cross-wing projects further back, linked to the rear block with a higher eaves line and slate roof. A small stack sits on the ridge line of the south cross-wing. The south wing is much altered but comprises 3 large bays with exposed framing on the flank to the former hall, showing tension bracing either side of the main post that suggests a late 14th or early 15th century date.

Interior: The ground floor room has 17th century panelling, partly painted, with 2 doors of similar panelling. To the rear is a later block, possibly 15th century, with framing apparently forming a large 2 or 3-bay chamber on each floor. The narrow hall part of the building is much altered but retains a sooted collar purlin apparently in situ with one crown-post and base, all at a level suggesting a very tall hall of possible Wealden type. The collar purlin position, indicated by brace mortices, suggests a very narrow low-end bay and truncation of the high end by the later construction of the north cross-wing. The crown-post braces were mounted very high with a low flat profile. The north cross-wing of mid to late 15th century comprises 3 equal bays, formerly with an intruded cross-passage with a moulded bressumer for a speared opening to the hall. Arch braces to tie-beams are missing from the probable former solar above. The crown-post roof has simple longitudinal braces, 2 of which are missing. The house appears to have changed ends, provoked by the construction of the later north cross-wing.