Gilpin House

Gilpin House, Ware

A timber-framed house, now converted to shop use with attic offices and storage areas, dating from the 15th and 17th centuries with 19th and 20th century alterations. The building was formerly known as Nos. 84, 84A, 86, 88 and Blue Boot Stores on the High Street.

The exterior is stucco-faced with quoins on the left and right sides of the south elevation. An old tiled roof features twin gables facing south and one gable facing east. A truncated red brick chimneystack stands on the centre of the ridge of the left-hand gable; it originally had four diagonally-set upper shafts.

The building stands two storeys high with attics and extensive cellars. The south elevation's first floor contains three flush sash windows with glazing bars. Two flush sash windows with exposed boxes sit high in the gables at attic level. The east elevation has two flush sash windows with exposed boxes, and a two-light 20th century wooden casement window with glazing bars in the attic. Mid-20th century timber shopfronts occupy the ground floor, with an entrance in the left-hand window of the south elevation. The east elevation features a six-panel door with pilaster surround, panelled frieze, and flat hood raised on console brackets. The rear elevation, facing West Street, is rendered in colourwashed pebbledash and shows two storeys with a setback stuccoed gable and attics to the right. A first floor central sash window is set in a flush surround with exposed boxes, accompanied by a smaller paned window to the right. Twin-light modern casements light the attic above. A modern lean-to extension with glazed roof occupies the ground floor.

Internally, the building displays evidence of two distinct construction periods. The structure forms part of an encroachment in the middle row on West Market Place. Viewed from the south, the right-hand (east) range dates to the late 15th century, while the left-hand (west) range dates to the mid-17th century. The east range may originally have formed a cross-wing to a hall-house lying to the west, which was subsequently rebuilt, or the two-bay 15th century range may always have been self-contained, though unheated.

The east range contains a late 15th century cellar with flint lining and heavy joists supporting the floor above in the rear (north) bay; the floor was lowered to street level during the 19th century in the south bay. The ground floor has been opened out, but a central cross beam retains mortices for a central stud partition, and exposed close studding appears in the east wall of the south bay. The attics show that the 15th century crown post roof structure was removed during the 17th century when a floor was inserted and the east gable constructed to form a garret. A collar purlin remains exposed in the ceiling, displaying mortices for bracing. The original rear gable, now enclosed as a partition at the north end of the attic, has ogee bracing crossing close studding that was originally external; this has been cut through by an inserted attic door. A brick chimney and adjacent newel staircase were added during the 17th century on the north side during rebuilding.

The 17th century range has cellars with twin central fireplaces facing north and south, both with chamfered timber lintels. The ground floor south room was opened out during the 19th century. The north room features an elaborate mid-17th century plaster ceiling with a centrally positioned heavily moulded plaster-covered beam displaying a 'mock' guilloche design studded with rosettes. Recessed panels are subdivided by moulded ribs into alternating squares and circles, containing a cartouched shield bearing two English lions and three crosses—the coat of arms of the Garth family. The first floor north room displays similar but more elaborate plasterwork, with a central beam running north to south and two large square recessed panels each containing a diagonally set square with fleur-de-lys at each corner surrounding a circle within, together with shields similar to those on the ground floor below but surmounted by raised laurel wreaths. The chimney breast bears a wreathed shield flanked by crowned rosettes. The attics contain a central chimneystack and a 17th century roof with side purlins housed in principal rafters.

Local tradition asserts that the house was built by Henry VII for his mother, Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond, who was granted the Manor of Ware for life. The name Gilpin House was acquired in the 1880s when Randolph Caldecott's illustrations renewed the popularity of Cowper's poem.