No 17 And Attached Walls And Outbuildings To The Rear

No. 17 is a house located on North Street in Bridgwater, dating from the late 17th century to early 18th century. It features a Flemish-bond brick front, with the original rear wall made of cob, and a late 19th-century English-bond two-storey rear left wing. There is also a 20th-century rear right wing and a steep-pitched pantile roof with a tall brick stack positioned forward of the left gable end. The house has a two-unit through-passage plan, with a large stack that heats the larger room on the left.

The building stands two storeys high and has a two-window range. Some of the windows contain crown glass. The first-floor windows are set at eaves level, including a 3/3-pane sash window on the left and a tall 19th-century two-light casement window with small panes on the right. This casement window lacks a cill but features two cambered brick arches above a 6/6-pane sash window in a forward frame, with similar cambered arches over a window to the right. There is also a 19th-century six-panel door, glazed at the top, with bolection moulding on the panels above beaded lower panels. A wide blank wall to the left shows traces of a bricked-up former doorway.

Inside, the former door led to a lobby on the left of an open fire, which is now a cupboard. The internal door is planked and has fine wrought-iron strap hinges. The left room features a chamfered cross-beam. To the right of the passage are two rooms; the front room has 20th-century panelling over brick nogging and a timber-studded partition wall. In the 20th-century kitchen, which was formerly outside, there is a brick-lined well approximately 4 feet in diameter, now covered. The 20th-century stairs are positioned against the former rear wall. The roof includes threaded purlins and some rough-hewn rafters.

Attached to the rear right is a subsidiary feature: an English-bond brick wall approximately 2 meters high that extends about 30 meters. There are also 19th-century English-bond brick outhouses, including a laundry, attached to the rear left. Historical records from 1727 and 1728 indicate that the house existed in 1652 and was involved in a sale between Joseph Pople and John Pople. It was also referred to as an inn called The Blew Anchor in 1728.