Outbuilding at the Cranbrook Engineering Works

An ancillary building to the White Horse Inn, latterly the Bull Inn (demolished), dating from the late C16-early C17.

MATERIALS: it is primarily built from brick, with sandstone rubble, possibly reused from earlier structures present in the footings.The roof structure is oak and the roof is tiled.

PLAN: the site of the former inn is an open forecourt facing onto the west side of Stone Street. The outbuilding is to the west of this forecourt; it runs roughly west-east along the northern boundary of the site, behind the C20 garage (not listed).

EXTERIOR: the range has been enveloped by later buildings. On the Stone Street elevation only the tile-hung apex of the steeply pitched gable of the building is visible behind the garage. A small section of the south elevation is visible between the assembly hall and the stables. It has an inserted double door on the ground floor and an inserted window above.

INTERIOR: on the ground floor there are substantial floor joists that meet a thick spine beam that is supported by two thick cross beams; these have deep chamfers and stops and are c28cm wide. In the C18 the building was converted to residential use, and floors were divided into three rooms. This is still evident on the first floor, where the two central trusses were infilled with daub, and had stud partitions inserted below; the roof was ceiled beneath the level of the end collars. Divisions on the ground floor have been removed. The location of the original stair, if there was one, is not known; there are fragmentary remains of the C18 stair. The internal walls bear scars of earlier openings: two doorways at ground floor level, one of which was notably wide at c1.8m. These have been blocked and altered and later openings have been inserted. The roof structure incorporates two types of trusses: those at either end of the range are of queen post construction with clasped side purlins, whereas the two central trusses omit the collars and have raking struts and butt jointed purlins. Where the C16 range adjoins the assembly hall a large proportion of the rafters has been removed.