Ravenys

Ravenys is a house located on Dedham Road in Stratford St Mary, dating from the late 15th to 16th century, with some 20th-century alterations. The building is timber-framed and rendered, except for the garden front of the cross wing, which features red brick nogging. The road front has a brick underbuilding, and the roof is covered with plain tiles, supported by red brick stacks. The house is two storeys high and has an L-plan layout, originally jettied towards the street. The main entrance is located at the gable end of the main range, accessed through a 20th-century porch.

On the garden front, a 20th-century single-storey range extends the main range to align with the projecting cross wing. The doors are made of planks with Tudor arches, and there are restored mullion windows with leaded lights. To the left, there is an off-centre saw-tooth stack, and the roof is swept. The cross wing features exposed framing, jowled posts, studding, and down braces, along with restored ovolo mullion windows. The gable is rendered and includes bargeboards, while a large external stack is present on the return wall, accompanied by a saw-tooth stack. The road front, originally jettied, has been underbuilt in painted brick and features further restored mullion windows and bargeboards on the cross wing's gable.

Inside, the walls are studded, and there are chamfered beams and exposed joists. The first floor of the cross wing shows diamond mortices and shutter grooves from the original windows. The main range has a collar rafter roof with slight smoke blackening, while the cross wing features a clasped purlin roof with windbraces. Historical records indicate that in 1442, the land on which the house stands was granted to William Smyth and William Wade on the condition that they rebuild the house. Notably, two drawings of the house by John Constable, titled "A Country Road, Cottage and Figures" and "Water Lane, Stratford St Mary," both from 1827, are held in the Victoria & Albert Museum.