126 And 127, Northgate Street

BURY ST EDMUNDS

TL8564SE NORTHGATE STREET 639-1/8/508 (East side) 12/07/72 Nos.126 AND 127

GV II

2 houses; No.127 now offices. C16 and C17 core, early C19 front. Timber-framed, faced in white brick with a parapet and a moulded stucco band. Plaintiled roof, hipped on the south: the ridge level of No.126 is higher. Corner site. EXTERIOR: 2 storeys, cellars and attics. 4 window range to Northgate Street: 12-pane sashes to the 1st storey and wider 16-pane sashes to the ground storey, all in plain reveals with very wide flat arches above. 2 window range to Mustow Street, all blocked. A raised stucco band runs below the 1st storey windows. Two 6-panel doors: to No.126 recessed, with a reeded wood architrave and a rectangular fanlight; to No.127 with a double brick arched head and a semicircular fanlight with ornamental glazing bars. 2 plain red brick internal chimney-stacks. No.126 has a C19 rear extension which links with a C16 2-storey rear wing, probably originally a detached building. This has the north wall and part of the south wall in Tudor brick, laid in an irregular bond. The high ground storey room rises to wallplate level with attics above. 2 high 12-pane sash windows in flush cased frames were inserted in the early C19 along the south side. A gable end wall in C19 brick includes an external chimney-stack. INTERIOR: No.126 has a small cellar, lined in brick and flint with 3 niches in the north wall and the remains of an original timber ceiling. The narrow single-bay front range is timber-framed, probably added, in conjunction with the chimney-stack, to No.127. On the ground storey, a boxed main beam and a reeded early C19 fireplace surround with an ornate cast-iron grate. On the 1st storey some components are exposed: the tie-beam is a softwood replacement on earlier posts. The end wall on the north has long thin arched braces to the tie-beam but no evidence of studding. The small fireplace has a bolection-moulded surround. The front attic has exposed common rafters and is ceiled at collar level: the collars appear to be resited. A cupboard doorway has rebated jambs and a 4-centred arched plank head. The early C19 stair in the rear hall has stick balusters and a wreathed handrail and rises the whole height of the house. Internal shutters with sunk panels to the sash windows in the rear wing. No.127 has framing exposed on the 1st storey,

including the wallplate and part of the studding along the original back wall. A good late C17/early C18 winder stair at the rear of the entrance hall has a flat moulded handrail and dumb-bell balusters. To the left, a fully panelled room with bolection mouldings and dado and a fireplace surround with ornate architrave and dentils. 2 upper fireplaces have C18 wood surrounds with overmantels. Plastered attics.

Listing NGR: TL8560264352