Council Offices And Oak Cottage

The building known as the Council Offices and Oak Cottage is a former vicarage that has been used as council offices since 1974 and also serves as a house. It has origins dating back to the 17th century and has undergone significant alterations and expansions over the years. The structure is timber-framed, rendered, pebbledashed, and colourwashed, topped with plain tile roofs.

The north-western block, which is the original 17th-century part, is two stories high. An early 18th-century gabled cross wing was added to the south-east gable end, which is also two stories. To the north-east of this cross wing lies Oak Cottage, which is also early 18th-century and two stories tall. Between 1860 and 1870, extensions were added to the south-east, which now house the council chamber. These extensions feature a hipped bay against the gable, with four-light Geometric tracery windows and one-light returns.

In the late 18th century, general additions included oriel windows. Oak Cottage has been updated with replaced two-light casements, two projecting oriels on the first floor, and a cluster of three 2/2 ground-floor sash windows. It has a gabled roof with a central ridge stack. The 17th-century north-west wing is illuminated by various types of sash windows and also has a gabled roof with a central ridge stack. Both wings consist of four irregular bays. The cross wing between them features oriels on the south-west gable and the south-east flank, alongside an external stack, with these oriels appearing in mid-18th-century drawings. The 19th-century extension includes a dormer and a 20th-century one-story entrance block.

Inside, the council chamber is accessed through a two-panel early 18th-century door and features a dentil cornice. The rear parts are timber-framed with chamfered bridging beams that have tongue stops. Most doorways and fireplaces are from the 20th century. Historically, the Rev. Dr. Thomas Young, a tutor of John Milton, served as vicar here from 1628 to 1655, and it is known that Milton visited the house. The Rev. A.G. Hollingsworth, who authored "The History of Stowmarket" in 1844, also resided here.