Moot Hall

The Moot Hall, located on Market Cross Place in Aldeburgh, is a timber-framed building dating back to approximately 1520. It was altered in 1654, and underwent substantial restoration in 1854-55 by RM Phipson, who rebuilt the gable ends and external staircase. The building is constructed with timber framing, featuring brattished middle rails and arched and tension braces to the first floor frame. Ground floor infill comprises mostly 19th-century herringbone or plain brick nogging, or flint and ashlar; the first floor is primarily 17th-century brick. The south gable and external stack were rebuilt in flint and ashlar on the ground floor, and brick on the upper floor, incorporating decorated twin flues. The roof is covered in plain tiles with pierced timber bargeboards and a finial to the north gable.

The west front has two four-centred doorways and a ground-floor arcade of four four-centred arches, originally serving an open market, now fitted with two-light casement windows. A timber-framed external staircase with a pentice roof leads to a plain doorway on the first floor towards the north end. Other openings include three three-light mullioned casement windows. The first-floor jetty beam on the west front is carved with a 19th-century leaf trail decoration. The east front has flint and ashlar walling at the south end, pierced by two lancet windows, with further ground-floor windows incorporating 3-light and 2-light mullioned and transomed casements. The first floor is lit by two three-light mullioned and transomed casements. The first-floor jetty beam here is decorated with a ribbon trail carving. A single seven-light mullioned and transomed casement window with lattice glazing is visible on the north gable's first floor, beneath a jetty beam carved with a 19th-century vine trail decoration.

The interior ground floor consists of three rooms, each with four-centred doorways featuring carvings in the spandrels. It contains heavy chamfered bridging beams and similar cruciform bridging beams in the north room. Jowled principal studs are a feature of the timber frame. The upper hall has four bays of chamfered tie beams on arched braces, supported by double struts to the principals with two tiers of passing braces, the upper ones on arched windbraces, along with collars and upper collars. The south chimney-piece was removed during a past restoration.