14-18, ST MARY'S STREET

Nos 14 to 18 on St Mary's Street is a 16th-century building that was originally one private residence, possibly linked to the nearby Nunnery. It is believed to have been occupied by John Duke in Bungay around 1550. An old mantelpiece from the house, which featured the arms of Bedingfield and D'Oyley and the date 1572, along with a figure of a crusader over the entrance, were removed in 1922 and are now part of "The Three Bells" in Ditchingham.

The building retains some original mullion casement windows with carved cills that depict scenes such as the slaughter of the Philistines by Samson, Samson and Delilah, and a child wrestling with two dragons, thought to represent Hercules. Another window featured a bust of the Virgin Mary, while one that showed Actaeon's fate has since been removed.

Inside, there is an original spiral brick staircase at No 18 and a four-centred arch leading to the cellars. Although some moulded beams are still visible, much of the building has been altered in the 18th or early 19th century, with modern shop fronts and internal rearrangements added. The structure is two stories with an attic and features three dormers, an overhanging first floor, and plastered timber framing. The roof is tiled, and there are three original windows on the first floor along with two sash windows with glazing bars and a mid-19th-century canted splay bay sash window. The central door, dating from the 18th century, is an eight-panel design with panelled reveals, fluted Doric pilasters, triglyphs, and an enriched dentil pediment.

Nos 6 to 22 on St Mary's Street form a group with this building.