26, Church Street

SAFFRON WALDEN

TL5338 CHURCH STREET 669-1/1/111 (North side) 28/11/51 No.26

GV II

Shop and offices on corner of Church Street and Museum Street. Late C16, remodelled early C19. Timber-framed and plastered, peg-tiled roof, aligned along Museum Street. Long rectangular plan. S front elevation to Church Street: gable end, C19 features, ground floor full-width shop, central recessed doorway, simple plate glass windows with upper frieze glazing bars, now with plain glass. Tiles below windows. Door, segment headed, upper glazing and fielded lower panel. Extremities of shop front have fluted pilasters and consoles. First floor, simple 3-cant bay window, horned sashes. Gable tile-hung with band of shaped tiles at mid-height, broad C20 barge-boards. W elevation to Museum Street irregular with central early C19 doorway, plain pilasters, simple cornice hood, door has large single upper glazed panel and 2 lower flush beaded panels. To S, side of C19 shop, single window and corner console. Above, to one side, C20 3-light casement window with leaded rectangular panes. N of doorway, small ground floor 3-cant window, leaded roof, sashes with thin glazing bars, 2x4, 3x4, 2x4 panes. Above, heavily reconstructed tripartite frieze window, at sides frieze lights have C16 roll moulded mullions, to N with small intermediate mullion bars, centre window of 3 casements with rectangular leaded panes, one is fixed, 2 are hinged, but not to full height, having fixed lights above. Rear, E elevation, masked at S end by Nos 26A and 28. To N, tall, timber-framed, 2-storeyed block, c1800, with hipped roof and small red brick stack at N end. Combed C20 pargetting, C20 door with upper glazing, 3x3 panes and 2 lower sunk panels. Adjacent, C20 casement window with glazing bars, 4x4 panes. First floor, 2-light casement window with single top light, similar window on N return face adjacent to stack. Range continues along yard to N as simple C19 ground floor lean-to, slate roof against adjoining property. One C19 fixed window with glazing bars, 4x4 panes. C20 sliding sash window, 2x2 panes. INTERIOR: much altered, originally jettied along Museum Street. Doorway to Museum Street on site of old passageway, once going through to rear cellar steps. At N end, floor level rises to c1800 high timber-framed block (seen from rear) and once a separate property. Infill between has stair flanked by early C19 bead moulded boarding and 3 contemporary cupboards. Cellaring below has possible C16 origins but was greatly enlarged in C19. First floor, wind braced side purlin roof, walls have internal tension bracing, heavily restored.

Listing NGR: TL5382838613