17th century inn, The Cock Inn, Beazley End (EHER 82741)

The Cock Inn was probably a 17th century house later converted into a public house in the 18th century. The building appears to have been remodelled in the 18th century when a rectangular range was added to the north. The inn was remodelled again in the 19th century when it was encased with timber framing on the ground floor. During the 20th century a front porch was constructed, the inn was rendered and the windows and door openings were altered. The Cock Inn is encased with rendered brick and has an interior timber frame. The roof has a pantile covering. The building has two storeys with 20th century extensions to the rear. The interior framing is mostly 19th century softwood nailed in place and the rear extension has resulted in the considerable loss of timber framing at the rear of the building. The fixtures and fittings associated with the public house are late 20th century. The inn was assessed for listing in 2010 but failed to meet the required criteria.

NRHE data transfer: Cock Inn [NAT]. <1> The Cock Inn, on the west side of the road, with an 18th century addition at the north end. The roof is half-hipped at both ends. The original chimney-stack has grouped diagonal shafts and pilasters. <2> January 2007. Listing consideration. The Cock Inn was probably a 17th century house, possibly with a rectangular plan-form, later converted into a public house in the 18th century. A deed of messuage for the Inn, dating to 1778, is in the Essex Record Office and the building may also be depicted on the 1777 Chapman and Andre map of the county. The building shows clear evidence of historic and more recent remodelling. Probably in the 18th century, a rectangular range was added to the north of the 17th century building. The building was substantially remodelled in the 19th century when it seems to have been encased, with 19th century non-structural, nailed and softwood timber framing inserted on the ground floor. A RCHME record card of 1913 includes a photograph of the facade which clearly indicates the extent of 20th century reworking, including the construction of a front porch, alteration of window and door openings and application of 20th century render. The first floor accommodation has been upgraded, and a number of single-storey additions, and a two-storey extension, constructed to the rear. The building is a public house, probably a former 17th century house, aligned approximately north-south with 18th, 19th and 20th century alterations. It is encased with rendered brick and has an interior timber frame of 17th, 18th and 19th century date. The steeply-pitched half-hipped roof has a pantile covering and there is a 17th century chimney stack of clustered diagonal shafts to the south and a rectangular stack to the north. The building has two storeys with 20th century extensions to the rear which have no apparent historic interest. The façade has a central projecting 20th century porch and 20th century casement windows in altered openings. The rear elevation is mostly obscured by 20th century single and two storey extensions, but two small probable 20th century sash windows are apparent at first floor. The north elevation has a single-storey lean-to with catslide roof and the south elevation is blind. The public house has an off-centre stack, with exposed, rebuilt inglenook fireplaces arranged back-to-back in the southern and central rooms on the ground floor of the 17th century building, both have a replaced bressummer and there is a bread oven in the central-room's fireplace. There are widely chamfered transverse bridging beams with stops and exposed joists of 17th century date in the central room. The interior framing is mostly 19th century softwood and nailed in place, often composed of many pieces of timber which are not contiguous. A small section of 17th century sole plate is apparent at the rear, exposed on either side of a 20th century door opening. The rear extensions have resulted in the considerable loss of timber framing at the rear of the building. To the north in the 18th century extension are two further rooms, each with a small fireplace. Some of the cross-frame studwork appears to be 18th century, but the wall framing to the front and rear is 19th century and non-structural. The fixtures and fittings associated with the public house are late 20th century in date and have no historic interest. The stairs to the first floor are located in a 20th century two-storey rear extension and it is uncertain where the original stairs were located. There are no historic features in the extension, which breaks through the rear of the 18th century building. A rear corridor of 20th century date has been inserted at the rear of the building. The wall-plate and tie beams are generally exposed, and there are storey posts in the corridor, but no other framing is apparent. The roof was not accessible for inspection. The Cock Inn Public House, Beazley End, was probably built as a dwelling house in the 17th century, and is not recommended for designation for the following principal reasons: * The building has been significantly altered in the 19th and 20th centuries resulting in an extensive loss of historic timber framing of the 17th century so that a significant proportion of the original fabric no longer remains. * The 20th century fixtures and fittings of the public house are of standard quality and do not add interest. <3> 2026 note: The Cock Inn is marked on historic maps on the site of Lime Tree Cottage. It is uncertain if the cottage incorporates the remains of the inn.