4 and 5 Gravel Walk

This is a pair of semi-detached houses, originally one house, dating to the early 17th century with later modifications and extensions.

The houses are constructed of cob, plastered over and set on a stone plinth, with an asbestos-tile hipped roof and brick stacks. Originally, the house followed a three-room, through-passage plan. Number 4, situated to the right of the entrance to the former central through-passage, has a shallow wing extending from what was the former inner room. The narrow rear rooms of number 5, along with the rear winder-stair turret, appear to be original to the early 17th century.

The front elevation has two storeys and a four-window range. The first floor has 20th-century casement windows with bars, while the ground floor has two three-light and one five-light casement windows, all dating to the 20th century. Both front entrances are sheltered by slate-roofed, open porches. The door to the former through-passage, now providing access to number 5, retains a moulded door surround. The rear of the property has seen considerable 20th-century alterations, however, the stair-turret window with chamfered jambs and mullions at number 5 survives, though it has been repaired. Also surviving is an early 19th-century three-light window with shallow chamfered jambs, mullions, and a ring latch. An axial chimney stack backs onto the through-passage, while another stack emerges from the front roof slope. Evidence suggests a large external lateral chimney stack previously existed on the right-hand side rear.

Inside, the former through passage contains one chamfered cross beam with run-out stops. Within number 5, the former hall features a large fireplace with stone jambs and a wooden lintel with an ovolo moulding. There are also three cross beams with cyma reversa mouldings and hollow step stops, and a post and wattle screen dividing the hall from the inner room, the ceiling featuring a deeply-chamfered unstopped beam. The original chamfered door surround to the stair turret and between the stairs and the rear room survive in number 5, the latter with stops. The stairwell retains remnants of late 17th or early 18th century splat balusters and a turned newel. On the first floor, two doorframes from the 17th century survive, one only partially. There is also a screen dividing the front and back rooms with unchamfered muntins. The room above the hall has a chamfered fireplace that mirrors the styling of the hall fireplace. The roof structure comprises four bays over the main range, with morticed and side-pegged principals. One of the two trusses to the rear wing utilises a saddle joint and is also side-pegged.