39 AND 40, HIGH STREET (See details for further address information)

Nos 39 and 40 High Street, originally a single house, are now two shops with rooms above. The building dates back to the 16th century, with later alterations. The south front, which faces the street, is a modern facade featuring curved tiles on the first floor and a shop front below. A passage, known as The Needles, separates the building from the Standard Inn to the west. The original timber framing of the 16th-century house is visible within this passage, in the west wall. A tile-hung gable is visible on the north front. The eaves overhang the passage at the northwest corner, nearly to its full width, but the passage has been cut into the house, leaving a boarded partition as the west wall on the ground floor toward the street. According to the Victoria County History, No 39 contains 16th-century panelling and a 17th-century staircase, and both houses feature ceiling beams and open fireplaces. Nos 34 to 40, together with the Standard Inn, form a group.