51-55, THE CLOSE

Nos. 51 to 55 on The Close are a group of former granary buildings now divided into houses, with origins dating back to the 13th century and later rebuilding and alterations from the 15th century onwards. The long range of buildings is set back from the street line.

No. 51 is a three-storey structure built of flint with brick dressings, featuring three irregularly spaced windows on the second floor. There is a 19th-century single-storey addition to the right. The left-hand off-centre door has a Doric surround, and the building has sash windows throughout with glazing bars. A central triangular dormer gable contains a three-light casement, and there is a large fireplace on the east gable with stone jambs.

No. 52 is a two-storey plus semi-basement building with three bays, constructed of flint with red brick window surrounds and a pantile roof. It has a central two-leaf door accessed by eight steps, with a porch supported by two Tuscan columns and pilasters, and a flat hood with mutules. French doors lead to the basement, and the building features sash windows throughout with glazing bars and rubbed brick flat arches, as well as a box cornice.

No. 53 is a late 19th-century rebuild made of flint with stone window surrounds and plain tiles. It has three storeys and four large first-floor windows. The right-hand off-centre door is 'Tudor' styled, with a three-light casement above it. There is a plain door at the extreme left with a three-light fanlight, and a five-light mullion and transom window to the right of the central door, alongside two two-light and one single-light window to the left. The first floor features two four-light and two central three-light windows, and there is a central sundial and a box cornice. Two dormers with three-light casements are also present.

Nos. 54 and 55 are constructed of flint with brick dressings and have a pantile roof. Both buildings are three storeys tall with scattered fenestration. No. 54 has a central door flanked by sash windows, while No. 55 features a central door with sunk panel pilasters, a plain architrave, and a hood. The windows include four-light and three-light casement windows, and there are three dormers with three-light casement windows. The interiors boast massive roughly-cut ceiling beams, and the roof structure includes single butt-purlins shouldered onto the principal rafters, with the mouldings turning accordingly, and arch braces springing from wall posts set into the wall.