The Clock House

The Clock House is a Grade II* listed building located in Stanstead Abbots village on Cappell Lane. It was built around 1636 for Sir Edward Baish and originally served as a grammar school, providing accommodation for the schoolmaster. In the 17th century, it was also used for Sunday services. The building features a bell that is believed to date from 1704, and the clock was repaired in 1788. It was sold in 1913.

Constructed of red brick in English bond, the building has a black diaper pattern in the gable and stucco quoins. The roof is covered with old red tiles and has a gable end facing the street, topped by a weatherboarded square cupola with an ogee roof and a weather vane. The structure is two stories tall and has a symmetrical design with a central door and a three-light casement window above, both featuring segmental heads and stucco surrounds. A large lozenge-shaped clock face with a raised surround is prominently displayed.

On the north and south fronts, there are three-light plastered brick mullioned windows with moulded labels, while the upper floor has 18th-century three-light wooden casements with leaded glazing. The main part of the building was originally a schoolroom, lit by the two opposing three-light windows and originally open to the roof. The western part was originally two stories high, with the current chimney serving the upper chamber. The schoolroom would have had an open fire. The Clock House is a focal building at the eastern end of the High Street.