The Ancient House

The Ancient House is a 15th-century timber-framed and plastered building located on the east side of High Street in Clare. It features a hall block and a jettied crosswing at the east end, with 17th-century additions to the west and south. The house has two storeys, and the crosswing jetty is supported by brackets with shafts. The north front and west gable display fine pargetting, which has been restored. The west gable is dated 1473. The windows are casements with lattice leaded lights. The crosswing includes a five-light oriel bay on both the ground and first stories, featuring moulded sills, with one oriel bay adorned with carved arms and supporting animals. The gable is decorated with shaped and carved bargeboards, and the ground storey has a blocked doorway with carved spandrels.

Inside the crosswing, there is a fine ceiling with moulded beams and joists, complete with leaf stops. The roof is tiled, and there is a heavy red brick chimney stack on a rectangular base with a sunk panel on the east end.

The Ancient House, along with No 27, No 15 (The Vicarage), the wall to the Vicarage, No 16 (Galloway House) on the west side, and the Church of SS Peter and Paul, form a group of historically significant buildings.