117, 119, 119A, 121 High Street (EHER 38362)

Nos 117, 119, 119A and 121 High Street are a late 15th century timber framed former house, now used as shops and flats. It is fronted with painted brick in header-bond, has a white weatherboarded north-west flank and a red brick (partly painted) rear elevation in Flemish-bond. The building is two storeys with attics and cellar. The premises was originally built as hall house with two gabled and jettied cross-wings. No.117 is the service-end cross-wing with evidence for a contemporary shop front in the front bay and No.121 was formerly the parlour and an arch-headed parlour door, now encased in plaster, survives in the partition to the hall.

September 1971. Grade II listed. Nos 117, 119, 119A and 121 High Street are a late 15th century timber framed former house, now used as shops and flats. It is fronted with painted brick in header-bond, has a white weatherboarded north-west flank and a red brick (partly painted) rear elevation in Flemish-bond. The building is two storeys with attics and cellar. The ground floor has three shop fronts, that to the north-west with an oriel bow window with flat roof, moulded cornice, eight vertically proportioned panes, and a simple 20th century door opening. The centre shop front once had similar bow but now has a 20th century butcher's shop front of glazed tiles, large sash front and blind box. The south-east unit has a larger slightly curved plate-glass bow window with its head concealed by a projecting fascia and door opening with segmental brick arch and 20th century door with fanlight. There is a lean-to at the north-west corner with a pantile-covered roof and a gabled pantiled outhouse behind No.121. The rear yard has two linked outhouses, part black weatherboarded, part brick, with gabled pantiled roofs. The premises was originally built as hall house with two gabled and jettied cross-wings. No.117 is the service-end cross-wing with evidence for a contemporary shop front in the front bay and one jetty bracket surviving behind the wall. There are widely spaced studs, jowled posts and the remains of diamond-mullioned window on the first floor at the rear and north-west flank, and at ground floor on the north-west flank. The original stair position is against the hall partition. No.121 was formerly the parlour and an arch-headed parlour door, now encased in plaster, survives in the partition to the hall. No.119 has a chamfered and stopped two-storey timber-frame, probably contemporary with the front and reeded fireplace surround with roundels and mantel shelf, on the first floor. <1> A range of buildings first built in around 1500 as a hall with two cross wings. They are structurally unimpressive but comprises a cross wing (in No.117) with uncommon combination of parlour and shop. Corner plots were clearly favoured for shops. The original hall has been replaced by a two storey timber of uncertain, probably late date. <2> It abuts No.123 High Street (EHER 38363) to the east.