17-18 West Mills

The building comprises two cottages, originally a hall house dating back to approximately 1476. It is constructed of oak-frame and brick, with a clay tiled roof and a brick chimney stack.

The main range is oriented east to west, facing north onto West Mills, and consists of three bays. It was originally divided by the central stack, and has been extended to the rear to create two cottages, each with a two-room plan. A single-storey rear extension is not included in the listing.

The principal elevation has brickwork on the ground floor and a timber-framed first floor with brick infill. The ground floor features a shallow timber door case on the left and a pitched porch on the right, both containing modern doors. Between these are two windows: a pair of six-over-six pane sash windows on the left and an eight-over-eight sash window on the right, both with hood moulds. The bressumer of the former jetty visually separates the ground and first floors. The first floor has an irregular pattern of studs with occasional horizontal members and a single arched brace. Three eight-over-eight sash windows with hood moulds have been inserted into the first floor. The chimney, a modern rebuilding, rises slightly left of centre, behind the roof ridge. The rear elevation includes a modern ground floor extension which is excluded from the listing. A gabled wing projecting shallowly on the right (No 17) has a tile-hung apex with brickwork below, and three four-light casement windows. A modern dormer with two pairs of four-light casements is located to the left of the gable.

The interior retains much of the original timber frame. A large axial bridging beam with deep chamfers supports the first-floor joists, along with two large cross beams. The joists bear markings of former jetty plates, which have since been removed. The supporting jowl post in one area has been plastered over. In No 17, mortises for window mullions indicate the location of the original rear wall. Various breaks and additional mortises in the timbers suggest modifications to the frame and the loss of stud partitions. The ground floor fireplace in No 17 incorporates modern brick at the base and has a reused timber lintel, with historic handmade brick above. The fireplace in No 18 has been rebuilt. The roof structure consists of two queen post trusses, butt purlins and coupled rafters without a ridge piece, and arched wind braces at the ends.