Old Guildhall

The Old Guildhall is a former guildhall dating from around 1520, with later alterations, and is now used as a museum. It was restored between 1965 and 1969. The building is timber framed, featuring fine exposed close studding with herringbone brick nogging on the facade, while the remainder is plastered, with the main components of the frame also exposed at the rear. It has a plaintiled roof and consists of two storeys and an attic.

The first floor jetties out along the facade and the left gable end, supported by plain brackets and buttress shafts. The bressumer displays embattled decoration. There are six mid-20th century square-leaded casement windows and two mid-20th century plank entrance doors with studded cover battens. The right-hand doorway features a gabled hood, and both doorways are accessed by short flights of steps.

Inside, there are two internal stacks, with the main stack having a sunk panel at its base. The structure is divided into six bays, although it is likely that a further bay to the west has been lost. The four eastern bays on the ground floor formed one large room, which is entered from the west end where a blocked front doorway is still visible, along with evidence of a projecting window. The upper floor originally consisted of five eastern bays that formed a single room. The ground floor has heavy plain joists, arched-braced and slightly cambered tie beams, and a queen-post roof. The main stack and newel stairs were inserted around 1600, and the attic floor dates from the later 17th century.