17,18, CHURCH STREET

Nos. 17 and 18 Church Street is a domestic building linked to the Benedictine Priory that was located immediately to the west. The structure was likely divided into two houses around the time of the Reformation. The current buildings date from around 1470, were refaced in the 18th century, and feature some elements from the 14th century on the rear (west wall). The exterior is made of carstone and limestone, with a brick facade and returns that are rendered and colourwashed.

The building has two storeys. No. 17 has a central panelled door within a simple doorcase, flanked by a late 20th-century horned sash window on each side, which replaced former shopfronts. There is also a small 20th-century fixed window on the far right. The first floor features three sashes with glazing bars. No. 18 is accessed through a 20th-century half-glazed door to the right, with two plate-glass sashes to its left and two similar sashes on the first floor, each with one glazing bar. The gabled roof extends over both houses, with internal gable-end stacks.

The rear elevation shows various minor alterations and extensions at ground level, with traces of former doorways and windows visible. The first floor has three stone mullioned windows with four-centred lights, set under square hollow-chamfered hoods on label stops. These windows, from north to south, consist of three, two, and one lights respectively, with the latter serving No. 18. There is one 20th-century dormer on No. 17 and two on No. 18.

The interior of No. 17 was inspected, revealing a ground-floor north room with a wave-moulded bridging beam and plain joists, while the south room has a chamfered bridging beam. The high-quality crown post roof consists of two bays, with tension braces connecting the posts to the tie beams and arched braces from the posts to the crown purlins, along with common rafters and collars. It is believed that the roof continues uninterrupted into No. 18.