42, Chesil Street

SU 4829 SE CHESIL STREET (West side) 869/7/311 No 42 14.1.74

GV II*

House. 1292-3 [tree-ring date]; remodelled circa C17 and remodelled and extended circa early C19. Timber-framed, partly rebuilt and re-fronted in brick [painted]. Clay plain tile roof with gabled ends, old crested ridge tiles, lower ridge on left. Brick stack at rear. PLAN: 2-bay 2-room plan; originally open to roof and heated by an open hearth fire; floor inserted in about the C17, larger room on right [N] heated from lateral stack at back; smaller left [S] room unheated. Re-fronted and extended at rear [W] circa early C19; further C20 extensions at rear. EXTERIOR: 2 storeys and attic. Asymmetrical 2-window painted brick east front with parapet; ground floor 16-pane sashes and plank door on right; first floor 12-pane sash on right and small C20 2-light casement on left. Rear, west, wing on left with gambrel roof and C20 flat roof extensions. INTERIOR: Right-hand room has chamfered axial beam without stops, brick fireplace in rear wall with unchamfered timber bressumer and wall-framing exposed to right. Chamber above has exposed tie-beam in north end wall and on rear wall a bolection-moulded chimneypiece with moulded shelf and circa 1900 tiled iron grate. Circa early C19 staircase with turned newels and stick balusters in rear wing behind south room of front range. Important Medieval roof structure tree-ring dated 1292-3; two smoke-blackened bays with three tie-beam trusses with king-posts rising to ridge-purlin and with straight longitudunal braces from king-posts to ridge-purlin; curved under-rafters [inner-principals] rising from tie-beams to king-posts and diagonal straight braces rising from lower part of king-posts, across under-rafters to the principal rafters, all clasping the side-purlins; the common-rafter couples are of similar scantling to the principal-rafters; south bay and its two trusses complete, but north truss is incomplete and common-rafters and purlins of north bay have been replaced. Some of the wall-framing survives. SOURCE: Vernacular Architecture 27, 1996, pp65-68.