24, Northbrook Street

24 Northbrook Street is a Grade II* listed building from the early 16th century, known as 'Jack of Newbury's House'. It was once part of a courtyard complex that included Nos 22 and 23. The north facade facing Marsh Lane features a two-storey gabled end of the main west range and part of a lower two-storey north wing. The west facade facing Northbrook Street was refronted in the early 19th century to create a unified appearance with the rest of the Jack Hotel (see No 23). The building has tile roofs with carved bargeboards and is timber framed with close studding. The first floor and gable display Tudor herringbone nogging, while the ground floor has panels of modern brick infill. The gable has jetties at the first floor and attic, supported by bracketted, moulded bresummers, and features a blocked window in the attic gable. A five-light oriel window on the first floor of the gable has moulded mullions, a transom, and a bracketted sill. The west front is finished in stucco and includes two recessed sash windows with glazing bars and a modern shopfront. The north return has 19th-century windows and blocked earlier openings. The west range consists of two bays with Queen post trusses, a moulded tie beam, and purlins, along with plain wind braces. A central chimney stack is made of Tudor brick. There is a stone fireplace (currently covered) in the first-floor front room, and the ground floor features moulded ceiling beams. John Winchcombe, also known as Smallwood, was a notable early 16th-century clothier who operated a significant weaving and dyeing business behind his house. Henry VII was entertained here by Winchcombe.