Baltic House

Baltic House is a Grade II listed house comprising an elegant late-Georgian main wing dating to around 1800, with a rear wing that incorporates part of a mid-15th century timber-framed building, dendrochronologically dated to 1438.

The main wing is constructed of rendered brick with a clay tile roof, while the rear wing is rendered over timber frame with a clay tile roof. The building sits on Thameside on the west side of the street.

The main wing follows a three-bay single-pile plan on two storeys, with two rooms on each floor flanking a central hallway. The rooms to the right are markedly smaller due to the presence of the older building behind. A stair in a projecting wing to the rear, now encased in later extensions, provides access to both floors and to the rear wing.

The Georgian entrance front is slightly asymmetrical, featuring a central doorway beneath a lead-roofed canopy on timber brackets, flanked by two canted bay windows with horned plate-glass sashes. The first-floor windows have unhorned six-over-six-pane sashes; those in the outer bays have two-over-two-pane side lights and miniature iron balustrades. The short return elevation has two multi-pane sashes, the first-floor example being a late-19th century insertion. The hipped roof carries two rear stacks.

The 15th century rear wing originally formed the eastern bay of a longer range to Friday Street. It retains small sash and casement windows and a pitched roof with a later dentil cornice and a massive central stack. Various infill blocks of different dates occupy the angle between the two main wings.

Inside the main wing, most rooms have simple two-panel doors and moulded timber skirtings; other mouldings including cornices have been renewed. The left-hand ground-floor room contains an original fireplace with moulded Classical surround and overmantel; other fireplaces are blocked up. The staircase features plain stick balusters, moulded and turned at the corners, with a moulded hardwood handrail. A round-headed plaster niche appears on the lower landing.

The ground floor of the rear wing has a modern ceiling beam and fireplace. An arched doorway in a cupboard to the right of the chimney-breast presumably formed part of a post-medieval entrance lobby. A wall safe in the cupboard dates from the building's later use as the Henley Regatta ticket office. The upper room displays exposed timber-framing elements including wall plates, a tie beam and three wall posts in the east wall, and a cranked tie-beam and the base of a crown post in the west wall. The original roof structure's rafters and collars remain visible in the attic space above the inserted ceiling.

The rear part of Baltic House originally formed the eastern half of a two-bay open-hall house dating from 1438, its western bay and a cross-wing added in 1537/8 now forming the core of the adjoining Baltic Cottage. At some point, possibly when the cross-wing was built, a brick hearth and stack was inserted into the centre of the hall, which was then floored over to create a two-storey lobby-entry house. A large new entrance wing containing a suite of reception rooms was added to the east around 1800; the older building was externally remodelled, and the angle between the two gradually infilled. Later in the 19th century, two bay windows were added to the front of the new building, and multiple phases of infilling occurred in the yard behind. Between 1944 and 1966 the house served as the ticket office for Henley Regatta. In 1976 the house was divided into two properties: the Georgian riverfront block and half of the medieval hall became Baltic House, while the other half of the hall, the cross-wing and part of the rear extension became Baltic Cottage.