6, Shute End

This is a town house, now used as offices, dating to the 16th century, with significant rebuilding and extension in the early 18th century and alterations in the 20th century. The rear section is timber-framed, with some parts encased in brick and others with brick infill. The front section is built of dark red brick. The roof is a combination of old tiles and slate. The house has an L-shaped layout with four framed bays at the rear. It is two storeys high and features chimneys at the rear.

The front is a symmetrical five-bay design from the 18th century. It has chamfered plinths, a first-floor string course, and angle piers that run the full height of the building. These are topped by a brick string course with dentils, beneath a moulded wooden cornice. A panelled parapet with stone coping completes the facade. The windows are sash windows with glazing bars, set in architrave frames and are topped with rubbed brick arches featuring scrolls above the windows in the first:third:fifth bays. The central doorway has an 8-panelled design with glazed upper panels, set within an architrave surround and protected by a flat hood supported by carved scroll brackets. A brass urn knocker is also present.

Inside the rear section, some of the original timber frame is visible, including heavy joists and one principal beam with stop-chamfered spine beams with run-out stops. A large fireplace is found in the third framed bay. The front section incorporates an early 19th-century staircase with stick balusters and a wreathed handrail. There’s also 18th-century wall panelling and a moulded ceiling cornice in the front office at the east end. The windows have panelled shutters, some with bead and reel enrichment.