Weaver House And Number 2

Two houses, built as one, likely dating from the late 15th century. They represent a high-quality urban dwelling, with significant remodelling in the mid-16th century when the central hall was rebuilt. The houses are two storeys and have attics, with a 3-cell plan and four windows. They are timber-framed and plastered, with the timber framing fully exposed, and plaster infill panels between the framing. The construction uses close-studding without external wind bracing; the first floor is entirely jettied to The Street and to Mason’s Lane. The jetties feature curved knees of varying thicknesses; some are carved integrally with the post, which is an unusual feature for Suffolk. There are simply-moulded bressumers. A spur corner post with a moulded and embattled capital is located at the corner of Mason's Lane. The roof is plaintiled, with three gabled dormers, dating from the 17th or 18th century, now fitted with 20th-century casements. An axial chimney, constructed of red brick, is from the 16th or 17th century. There are three-light casements from the 18th century. Two boarded and battened entrance doors were added in the 20th century. A garage door is set into the ground storey walling of the left-hand cell. To the rear right, the roof is hipped and gabletted. Evidence suggests this was a full crosswing until the main roof was rebuilt and a gable added in the 17th century. There is also evidence for shop windows beneath the jetty at the right-hand gable. Inside Weaver House, there are two faded black-letter inscriptions from the mid-16th century, placed above fireplaces on plasterwork, and each surrounded by a decorative frieze. One inscription includes a devotional text referencing the book of Philippians, while the other is barely legible. The rear roof exhibits a hip and gable arrangement, indicating a former crosswing that was altered in the 17th century.