Church House

Church House, now a museum with offices above, likely dates to the 16th century and was altered in the 18th century when it became Challoner’s School. It is constructed of whitewashed rubble and has a gable-ended rag slate roof, with a gabled slated pentice over two flights of external stone steps leading to the first-floor entrance. The building has a rectangular plan and a five-bay front. There are two 19th-century brick stacks, one offset on the west side and the other at the south gable end, both having been reduced in height.

The south end features a large gateway opening with a chamfered timber beam above and two-leaf gates. To the right are four wide blocked openings with timber lintels, formerly open shambles. The second from the left has an inserted wooden two-light casement. Above are five wooden two-light casements; two on the left are replacements with small diamond-leaded panes, while those to the right retain diamond-leaded panes and external ferrimenta. The centre opening on the first floor has a square head, and those to either side are 16th-century four-centred arches with hollow chamfered frames.

The west facade has a three-light wooden casement with 12 panes per light above a curving timber beam to the gateway. To the left are two replacement two-light wooden casements with diamond-leaded cames. All first-floor windows have timber lintels. Below are three unevenly spaced windows with deep reveals, each with a 16-paned metal casement and grill bars.

At each corner of the north gable are two dressed quoins below the eaves. The stone on the east side has an angular octofoil on its east face and a bishop's head with mitre on its north face. The stone on the west side has a raised cross on its west face and a crowned king on its north face. A further stone bearing the design of a cross within a circle is located in the apex of the gable.

Slate treads on rubble risers at the north gable end lead to a four-centred arch wooden doorway with chamfered and stopped jambs and a plank door. The pentice is open on the gable end and reveals the original roof trusses with short curved feet and plain purlins. These are identical to the four trusses in the main range, featuring unmoulded principals and plain wall plates.