69 and 71 High Street (EHER 38347)

Nos 69 and 71 High Street are a well preserved example of a 16th century and early 17th century timber framed town house. The building comprises two large gabled bays flanking a smaller gabled bay. The central bay is the oldest part and is a 16th century cross-wing, formerly jettied to the front, and incorporating much reused timber. In the early 17th century this was enveloped as part of a high quality house with contemporary carriage arch.

October 1951. Grade II* listed. A 16th century and early 17th century timber framed and rendered shop. The building is two storeys with attics and has extensive rear extensions. It comprises two large gabled bays flanking a smaller gabled bay with, behind the north-west pair, a taller roof parallel to the street. The north-west gabled wing has moulded barge-boards and a semicircular-headed 19th century fixed window to the attic. The first floor has a 19th century canted bay window with hipped roof. On the ground floor a 19th century shop front with canted-out fascia, cant sides, and recessed cant-sided entrance of large panes, takes up about half the frontage. The central gable is smaller and has moulded barge-boards and a 19th century window in two parts, above and below the old tie beam. The ground floor has a canted flat-roofed bay window. The south-east gable has similar barge-boards and a semicircular-headed window to the attic and is jettied on large ornamental brackets. The first floor has a canted bay window under the jetty, and is also jettied on hewn posts with a moulded bressummer and two projecting joist ends with mouldings. The ground floor has a wide carriage arch with heavy curved arch braces and a 20th century four-panel door in a moulded frame, approached by a flight of three steps. On the rear the carriage-arch block is gabled as is the central wing which projects further towards the north. Attached to the first floor of the south-east wing is a black weatherboarded structure with a slate lean-to roof and 19th century sash windows. Behind the central block are two lean-to roofed structures at right-angles to one another, in black weatherboarding, one covered with slate and the other with plain tiles. On the rear of the north-west wing is a large 20th century flat-roofed extension and slate gable-roofed rendered extension on its northern end. The central block is the older part and is a 16th century cross-wing with arch-braced side-purlin roof, formerly jettied to the front. The structure seems to incorporate much reused timber. In the early 17th century this was enveloped as part of a high quality house with contemporary carriage arch. The north-west wing had ovolo-frieze windows either side of an oriel window (recent renovation). The central wing has internal wall bracing and was refitted with ovolo windows in the 17th century remaking. The south-east wing has central A-frame truss, side-purlin roof with straight wind braces and long straight internal wall braces. The first floor bay window structure incorporates ovolo mullions from former oriel in this position. This wing also had small ovolo-mullioned windows each side of the central oriel. Inside these is a 19th century cast-iron Art Nouveau fireplace and boarded 17th century door. It is a well preserved and unrestored example of a town house of the period. <1> <2> See photos <3>. The central portion of this building is a 16th century crosswing, made out of reused timber. During the 17th century this was enveloped by later work, including a highly decorated carriage arch wing. <4> Google Streetview imagery shows the building in use as a restaurant between April 2009 and May 2023. The image from May 2024 shows the restaurant as closed down. <5> The building abuts No.67 High Street to the north-west. Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import.