1, Mill Road

House, late 18th century. Built of coursed flint painted white with brick quoins and a hipped pantiled roof.

The house is rectangular, two storeys with a full height outshut to the rear and a long narrow single storey wing containing outbuildings. The roof has two chimney stacks set behind the ridge on the rear slope, which is continuous over the outshut. The house contains four rooms to ground and first floor—two to the front and two to the rear—with a central enclosed stair.

The centrally placed front door in the west elevation has six fielded panels. To the north is a two-light casement and to the south a three-light casement. Two smaller two-light casements to the first floor are set either side of a painted blind window. The door and all windows in this elevation have cambered arches. The south elevation has a two-light casement in the first floor of the outshut. A small piece of limestone carved with a chevron decoration is set into this wall close to the west quoin. The east elevation has a plank and batten back door at the south end with a two-light casement immediately to the north; both have cambered arches. A first floor two-light casement is set under the eaves, breaking through the dentilled cornice. The wash house to the rear is built mainly of flint with a pantiled roof and has one south facing casement window. The wash house is linked to the house by a reconstructed section which retains its original clay lump north wall. A modern wooden building attached to the east end of the wash house is not of architectural or historical interest.

The front door opens onto the main front room, which contains a chamfered axial beam and a fireplace with no surround, now containing a wood burning stove; the floor is laid with Norfolk pamments. A door immediately to the left of the front door leads into the smaller front room, and a second door to the south of the fireplace gives access to the rear room, presumed to be the original kitchen. The two front rooms are divided by a load bearing wall. The smaller front room contains a fireplace with no surround. Set in the recess to the south of the chimney breast is neo-classical style alcove shelving with a round arch supported on pilasters, with cupboards above and below the shelves. The floor here is also laid with pamments. The room behind the main room (the south rear room) has a fireplace raised about 50 centimetres above floor level. An understair cupboard has a flint floor, but the room floor is laid with pamments. The north rear room, originally the scullery, is accessible from the former kitchen, the north front room, and the connecting passage to the wash house.

An enclosed staircase rises between the former scullery and kitchen to a landing. There are four first floor rooms, two to the front and two to the rear under the roof. Stud walls with exposed timbers divide the rear rooms from the staircase; the south back room has been converted into a bathroom. There is a narrow cupboard on the landing and cupboards in the two front bedrooms. The north front room contains a cast iron fire surround and register grate. All floorboards are original except for those on the landing and in the bathroom. Plank and batten doors and door furniture are original.

The roof retains its original construction and timbers, except for the addition of a purlin and two or three rafters.

The house dates to the late 18th century. It underwent little alteration or modernisation in the 20th century, and changes that were made, such as the blocking of doors from the kitchen, have been reversed. Additions to the outhouse shown on the 1884 Ordnance Survey map, probably the wash house, were made, and a later connecting section between this and the house has been recently rebuilt. The main alteration to the interior has been the removal of fireplaces, and some windows have been replaced.

No. 1 Mill Road is situated at the centre of Shipdham, to the south of the Grade I listed Church of All Saints, and is one of a cluster of Grade II listed buildings that form the historic core of the village.