The Ancient House

The Ancient House is a pair of houses that were originally built as one large house in the late 14th century or early 15th century. The date 1480 found on the right-hand gable is not authentic. The structure features a central open hall flanked by two cross-wings and stands two storeys tall, with one of the cross-wings having an attic. It is timber-framed and roughcast, showcasing much exposed and painted oak framing, along with some early 20th-century false half-timbering.

The solar cross-wing, located at the corner of Hawksmill Street, jetties out on two sides and is supported by broad knees that hold up alternate exposed joist ends and a moulded bressumer. A large post at the corner has a moulded and embattled capital. The upper storey features closely spaced studwork. The service wing to the right jetties at the front and has widely spaced tension-braced studwork. The roofs are covered with plaintiles and feature early 20th-century red brick chimneys. The windows are early 20th-century mullioned and transomed casements, and the entrance doors are boarded.

Inside, the two-bay open hall has a central truss with massive moulded arch braces supporting a cambered tie-beam. The octagonal crown post has a moulded capital and heavy two-way braces, although it appears to have been designed for lateral braces that were never added. The hall shows heavy smoke-encrustation. Both cross-wings have complete crown post roofs, with the solar roof featuring an octagonal post at the open truss and a responding pilaster at the rear wall. The studwork throughout is heavily braced, with closer spacing in the solar wing.

There are twin doorways to the service rooms with steep two-centred arched heads, and similar doorways in the rear wall of the solar wing suggest the former presence of an outside stair, now replaced by a 20th-century version. A fragmentary rear hall window shows evidence of traceried lights below a transom. In the early or mid-16th century, an upper floor was added to the hall, featuring heavily moulded main beams and joists.

Historically, in 1476, the house was referred to as Poundizend and was owned by John Flegg. By 1523, it was occupied by John Gardiner, both of whom were wealthy clothiers.