73, High Street

No. 73 High Street is a house with a shop that may date back to the 16th century but was remodeled in the late 17th century, with its front rebuilt in the 18th century. The building features a brick front and timber framing at the rear, topped with a Kent tile roof. The front room on the ground floor has a ceiling beam and large joists that could be from the 16th century, possibly contemporary with a diamond-mullioned window at the rear, which is not visible from the inside. Most other features date from around 1700 or later. The rear wings have a complex history, indicating two or three phases of construction. The front, which has been rebuilt in a replica style, is three stories high and has a symmetrical two-window range with a three-light dormer. The upper floors have 12-pane hornless sash windows, and the shop front is in an early 19th-century style. The rear wings have roofs covered with asbestos or concrete tiles. Inside, the front room has a ceiling cross beam and substantial joists, while the rear features framing with mortices for a diamond-mullioned window. The western rear wing has early framing and ceiling beams from possibly the 17th century, which are difficult to interpret. On the first floor, the front room contains a complete set of large fielded panels and an almost complete dog-leg staircase with turned balusters and square-section newels, all appearing to date from around 1700. There is also a fireplace with a brick hood and an earlier chamfered bressumer at the rear of this room.