The Ancient House

TM0855 3/134

NEEDHAM MARKET KING WILLIAM STREET Nos. 1 and 3, The Ancient House

9.12.55

II* Two houses, built as one substantial house in late C14 or early C15. (The date 1480 in right-hand gable is spurious). A central open hall with two cross-wings. Two storeys; one cross-wing has an attic. Timber-framed and roughcast with much exposed and painted oak framing, augmented with early C20 false half-timbering.

The solar cross-wing at the corner of Hawksmill Street is jettied on two sides, with broad knees, supporting alternate exposed joist ends and a moulded bressumer. At the corner is a massive post with a moulded and embattled capital. At the upper storey is very closely-spaced studwork. The service wing to right is end-jettied at the front and has widely-spaced tension-braced studwork. Plaintiled roofs with early C20 chimneys of red brick. Early C20 mullioned and transomed casements. Boarded entrance doors.

The two-bay open hall has a central truss with massive moulded arch braces to the cambered tie-beam; the octagonal crownpost has a moulded capital and heavy two-way braces (the post was designed to have lateral braces, but seems never to have received them). Heavy smoke-encrustation. Both cross-wings also have complete crown post roofs; the solar roof has an octagonal post at the open truss with a responding pilaster at the rear wall. Studwork has prolific tension-bracing throughout, but is closely spaced in the solar wing only.

Twin service room doorways with steep two-centred arched heads; similar doorways in the rear wall of the solar wing indicate an outside stair in the position of the C20 one. A fragmentary rear hall window has evidence for traceried lights below a transome. In early or mid C16, an upper floor was inserted into the hall with heavily moulded main beams and joists.

In 1476 the house was known as Poundizend, the property of John Flegg, and in 1523 as occupied by John Gardiner (both were wealthy clothiers).

Listing NGR: TM0875355252