26, Eastcourt Road

This is a timber-framed house dating from the 16th century, with significant alterations in 1669 and the 18th century. Originally a single-storey and attic structure with a gable end facing the street, it was raised to two storeys and extended south along Eastcourt Road around 1669, adding a bay and a stack bay to create a ‘L’ shaped plan. A further single-storey and attic section was added during the original construction. The west gable was rebuilt in the 20th century. The timber framing is two panels high, featuring jowled posts and straight corner braces. A 20th-century door is located in the right-hand side of the central bay, set within a 20th-century open porch. There are two-light timber casement windows and a three-light window reflecting the mid-17th-century raising of the walls. The roof is half-hipped to the left. Internally, the house has two cross walls and original rafters, notably without smoke blackening, suggesting a chimney was always present in the left-hand bay. A clasped purlin roof is visible. A large fireplace with a timber lintel and oven is found in the left bay. Cruck-like corner posts are exposed externally at the gable ends. In the 19th century, the building functioned as a cooper's shop and barn.