Commercial House

Commercial House is a late 18th/early 19th century house with a shop and post office, located on the north side of Hadlow High Street. It is one of several listed buildings in the centre of Hadlow.

The building is constructed of white-washed Flemish bond brick, with brick stacks and chimneyshafts, and a peg-tile roof. It is originally a double-depth plan house facing south east, with a front and back room on either side of a central entrance hall and main stair. This arrangement has been altered due to subdivision. Rooms are heated by axial stacks and an end stack at the front of the left end, with the front left room serving as a shop.

The exterior is of three storeys with extensions to the rear. Originally symmetrical with a three-window front, it now features a late 19th century shop front and porch which project in front of the centre and right end at ground floor level. The porch has a four-panel door under a tall overlight, flush with the shop front. The shop has a centrally recessed doorway with a 20th century glazed door, and a shop window with plain glazing bars. Panelled pilasters flank both doorways at the right end. A continuous fascia, moulded entablature, and flat roof add to the shop front’s appearance. All original windows have flat arches of rubbed brick, with the ground and first floors featuring 16-pane sashes and the second floor having shorter 8-pane sashes. A plain parapet tops the building, and the twin roofs, parallel to the street, are hipped at both ends. Rear first floor windows have segmental arch heads and contain 12-pane sashes.

The interior has been rearranged and is said to contain little original joinery.