The Olde House

The Olde House is a house that dates from the early 16th century and has undergone restoration in 1980. It features two storeys and part of it has attics. The structure is timber-framed, partly rendered, and has a black glazed pantiled roof. An internal chimney stack has attached hexagonal shafts. The house is oriented east-west, with a cross-wing that runs north-south through the center, which is the oldest part of the building from the early to mid 16th century.

This cross-wing previously displayed a wooden panel with the date 1553, likely indicating its construction date. The north gable wall, facing the street, jetties at the first floor level and features a projecting tie-beam and attic storey. The studwork is exposed above the ground storey, and the capitals of the brackets below the jetty are carved with a basic Ionic design. The bressummer shows worn remnants of folded leaf carving.

On the upper storey, there are remains of an original T-shaped window, which likely had a central oriel; currently, only the two small side windows with hollow-chamfer mouldings to the mullions survive. Internal evidence indicates that a similar T-shaped window existed on the ground floor, where there is an entrance door on the east side that has been reopened. The ground-storey room boasts a fine exposed beam and joist ceiling with ogee mouldings.

The sections of the main range to the east and west of the cross-wing are of later date and show little visible framing. Both sections had 18th-century brick gable ends added, with the western side incorporating a chimney stack. The eastern section features a roof with one row of butt purlins and clasped purlins above. Reused rafters in the western roof include some that are smoke-blackened, indicating that a medieval section of the house was replaced.