The Crane House The Stocks Outside The Town Hall The Town Hall

The Crane House and the Town Hall, located on King Street in Fordwich, are significant historical buildings associated with the Cinque Ports, as Fordwich is a limb of Sandwich. The Town Hall, likely built in the early 15th century, served as a storeroom and prison on the ground floor, with a courtroom and jury room above. It underwent extensive repairs in 1474. The structure features a timber frame, with the ground floor rebuilt using brick, stone rubble, and flints. The first floor is close studded with herringbone brick on the east and south sides, and plaster infilling on the west side, all supported by a moulded bressumer and brackets, with a red brick buttress at the southeast corner. The building has a steeply-pitched hipped tile roof and casement windows with four lights, 4-centred heads, wooden mullions, diamond-shaped leaded panes, and old green glass. It stands two storeys tall, with one window each facing east, south, and north. The small prison on the ground floor retains its bed, and the wooden stocks are located in the forecourt to the south. The courtroom above preserves its original fittings and features a crownpost roof. To the north is the Crane House, which has tarred weatherboarding and a tiled roof. The north gable end facing the River Stour is jettied, and at the northeast angle, there is a swinging post with a cross-piece resembling a gallows, from which a large hook is suspended for raising and lowering goods.