9-17, GRAVEL HILL

The buildings at 9-17 Gravel Hill form a refronted group of timber-framed structures, unified by a continuous, old tiled roof with a central gable facing the street. The picturesque composition is well-suited to the sloping site. The facades of numbers 9 to 11 are colour-washed plaster, with no exposed timber framing, just plaster in the gable end and red brick nogging below, and significant restoration. Numbers 15 and 17 are colour-washed brick. The buildings are two storeys high, with a canted bay window at the bottom of the group (number 9) and two at the top end (number 17). Number 13 features reproduction leaded casement windows; the rest generally have sash windows with glazing bars.

The raised pavement and walling are part of a larger group including numbers 5 to 19 (odd), the South Oxfordshire Technical College Old School and Main Buildings, numbers 43 to 49 (odd), the wall and gate piers to the former Paradise House, and Ancastle Cottage, numbers 2 to 36 (even). Ancastle Cottage also forms a group with the entrance walls, piers and gates and the lower lodge of Friar Park.

Historical research by the Henley Historical and Archaeological Group in 2012, combined with dendrochronological analysis of the roof structure at number 13, which dates to 1454, has revealed that the buildings are significantly older than previously thought. Examination of the timber framing at numbers 9 to 11 has identified fabric dating to the early 15th century, suggesting an earlier construction date than the original 17th and 18th-century assessment. Timber framing is understood to be present elsewhere within the range, although detailed inspection has not been undertaken.