Four Ashes

Four Ashes is a house dating from the early 17th century, with a largely 18th-century facade and a late 20th-century extension. The building is timber-framed and was mostly refaced in red brick in English bond, featuring vitrified headers, a three-course brick band between the floors, and a flint plinth on the left side of the ground floor. The roof is tiled, half-hipped and slopes to the rear, with a central brick stack. The front elevation has two bays and originally followed a baffle entry plan. Most of the windows are late 20th-century casements, though the ground floor retains cambered brick arches. The left side elevation retains early 17th-century four-light ovolo-moulded mullioned windows, with evidence of a similar window above. A modillion eaves cornice runs along the top of the front elevation. A 20th-century gabled roughcast extension to the left is not of particular architectural interest. Inside, the timber frame is exposed, showcasing a midrail and diagonal tension braces. The right-hand front room features a chamfered spine beam, exposed floor joists, and an original three-plank door. Some 17th-century brickwork is visible within an outshut, and there is an open fireplace. The group value of this building lies in its representation of domestic architectural styles across several centuries.