The Clock House

The Clock House is a house dating from the mid-16th century and early 17th century. It is located on the west side of The Causeway in Great Dunmow. The front block, dating from the early 17th century, is constructed of red brick in English bond, with gabled peg tile roofs behind parapets and curvilinear gables on the east elevation and wider, shaped gables on the north and south fronts. The parapets of the gables have terminal finials. The architectural style reflects contemporary manor houses of Suffolk, featuring three storeys of mullioned and transomed windows within the gables, moulded string courses at storey levels, and shallow brick pediments above the second-storey and attic windows on the north and south fronts. A large, contemporary door-like arrangement is centrally positioned on the first floor of the front, opening onto a projecting brick porch with Doric pilasters and a semi-circular entrance arch. Two large chimney stacks are present on the rear wall, one with four and one with six octagonal shafts with conjoined heads. A clock turret with an ogee lead roof sits over the centre of the roof, above a white weatherboarded base.

Inside, the front block's central passage features 18th-century arch-topped doors with hexagon patterned glazing bars. The ground-floor hall has moulded bridging joists and a stone-paved floor of white and black irregular chequerboard. Rooms throughout contain 18th-century panelling and some late 18th-century fireplaces. The rear block is of three storeys and comprises mid-16th century timber framing, with floor joists exhibiting soffit tennons and diminished haunches. An original door opening on the ground floor retains chamfered and stopped jambs. An early 16th-century staircase, with big turned balusters, is inserted within the end bay of the earlier house, alongside a screen of reused door heads. A lean-to block, constructed of red brick and slate with a roof, dates from the early 19th century. This block features a late 18th/early 19th-century doorcase with a flat head, semi-circular fanlight of lobed pattern glazing bars, and a six-panel door. It continues as a two-storey gabled wing with a red brick and slated roof, with rubbed brick headed arches over sash windows. A large, ancient cellar is situated beneath the property. Rear ranges have a mixture of 19th-century and earlier casement windows. Possible remains of a moat are present on the site. In the early 19th century, the house was the residence of Sir George Beaumont, an amateur painter and significant patron.