26, 27 and 27A Market Place

This is a house, built in the early 17th century and later divided into two separate properties, with a cellar now accessed from 1 Market Place. The building is roughly L-shaped, facing east onto Market Place and projecting to the rear.

The exterior is two-and-a-half stories high. It was originally built in the early 17th century, then divided in the 18th century; number 26 has one bay and number 27 has two. The roof is pitched and gabled to the north and south, covered with pantiles, and incorporates two dormer casement windows on the front (east) slope and truncated chimneystacks on both north and south gables. The walls are a mix of red brick and flint, rendered with an eaves cornice. Number 26 has a mid-20th-century box bay window on the left side of the ground floor with plain astragal-moulded mullions and transoms, a simple cornice, and a low stallriser. A doorway to the right has a shallow flat canopy, fluted pilasters on either side, panelled reveals, and a late-20th-century half-glazed door. The first floor has a single six-over-six pane sash window without horns, set in a flush, flat-arched frame. Number 27 has a late-20th-century shopfront on the ground floor, two bays of late-20th-century sash windows with horns on the first floor in flush, flat-arched frames, and a dormer window to the attic containing late-20th-century casements.

The interior of the two buildings retains massive stop-chamfered spine beams and cross beams; dendrochronology dating from 2021 confirms these timbers date from the early 17th century. The roof consists of six principal rafter and collar trusses, and evidence of a former thatched roof survives near the dormer window of number 27. At ground floor level, particularly within the main range of the building, are several large, chamfered ceiling beams. These are also visible on the first floor. The cellar (now known as 27A Market Place and accessed via 1 Market Street) features five pointed-arched chambers, or side cellars: two on the east and west walls and one on the south wall.