Raf Club

The RAF Club, formerly a priest's house or vicarage, dates to the early 17th century and is situated on Church Street, Calne. It is a notable example of a surviving 17th-century town house and is of group value. The building is constructed of coursed limestone rubble, originally limewashed, with a pantile roof. It features stone stacks with two diagonal brick shafts to the left of the south gable, a brick stack to the front right gable, and a triple-diagonal-shafted brick stack to the central valley. The original stair and entrance were destroyed between 1948 and 1961.

The building has two rooms in depth with an entrance passage located to the right of the front parlour, set alongside south-facing ranges. It is two storeys high and has a three-window front. A central two-storey splayed bay with a hipped roof features leaded, five-light ovolo-mullioned and transomed windows; the left-hand windows are cross windows, and the right-hand window is smaller, possibly a former stair window. A fine 17th-century planked and studded door, with strap hinges, is set within a chamfered semi-elliptical arched architrave. The south range incorporates a first-floor three-light ovolo-moulded window with 20th-century glass, beneath a heavy relieving lintel. One of the gables is reported to have a four-course dovecote.

The interior includes a through-passage with a 17th-century rear door, horizontally planked on the inside, similar to the front door. The front ground-floor room, originally two rooms, contains an open fire with a stone surround, a cyma-moulded mantelshelf, and a flat arch with curved corners and sunk spandrels. A crossbeam to the left shows mortices for a stud wall, while two axial beams have run-out stops. A 19th-century staircase rises at the rear. A service area room, located on a higher level, also features an open fire with a stone surround, backed by the same stack. The first-floor front room retains wide oak floorboards with a similar, but smaller, fireplace to the rear wall. The ceiling is divided into six irregular panels, some with drilled wattle holes, some with slotted holes, all with run-out stops. The rear room, also on a higher level, has an open fire with a stone overmantel. The roof is of collar truss construction, with cambered collars. An attic and basement are present but inaccessible; they are said to contain original features.