3 Silver Street, Blue Boar Hotel (EHER 7740)

A late 14th century hotel, originally a timber framed house, with additions and alterations during the 16th, late 17th and early 19th centuries. The main range is timber framed with a front of 18th or 19th century Suffolk white brick and a hipped tile roof. The front has three storeys and cellars and a five window range. The rear ranges form a narrow courtyard, they are mostly two storey and are built from brickwork render and weatherboarding and have slate or plain tile roofs. A carriage arch gives access to the yard, to the SW of the arch is a long jettied range, with partial underbuilding and exposed timber. Beyond this range there is a late 17th century extension and beyond this a 19th century outbuilding. Attached to the rear of the 19th century block is 12 Princes Street, a mid 19th century house, now part of the Blue Boar Complex. No 1 Silver Street is now the annex to the Blue Boar, it has three storeys and is brick-built with a hipped slate roof. Local history claims that the hotel was once the dwelling house of the De Veres, Earls of Oxford, it was bought in the 1530s by John Church a leading Burgess of Maldon, who erected the jettied range. The Blue Boar sign was taken from the badge of the De Vere family.

October 1951. Grade II * listed. The listing includes No.12 Princes Street. A late 14th century with 16th and early 19th century additions. The main range is timber framed and fronted in Suffolk white brick in Flemish bond. The roof is the main range is hipped and covered with plain tiles. There are various rear ranges with roofs covered in plain tiles and slate, and walls built from brickwork with render or weatherboarding. The front range is three storeys with cellar and bears a five-window range. The rear ranges are largely of two storeys and are arranged to frame a narrow courtyard. The (front) Silver Street elevation has a plain parapet and two low steps which lead up to the off-centre entrance, covered by a Tuscan porch. Either side of the entrance are bay windows. An elaborate wrought-iron bracket bears a sign for the inn and is attached to the first floor. To the left of the entrance is an elliptical-headed carriage arch with painted timber gates which give access to the yard. On the far left of this is another entrance door, and a single 16-pane sash window with bullseye glass. The rear of this range is rendered where not obscured by other structures and there are two 12-pane sash windows and a rear wall chimney stack. The historically most important elevation is the NE face of a long range immediately SW of the carriage arch. Beneath the arch, a wall of substantial timber framing with arch bracing is exposed. To the rear of the arch, a short length of this structure is revealed over its full two storeys with a remnant of the plain tile roof. To the rear of this (NW) is a long jettied two-storey range, partially underbuilt but with the framing exposed on the upper floor. Beyond this range is a late 17th century two-storey extension with plain tiles, a first floor of black tarred boarding and a lean-to plain tiled ground floor of render. Beyond this again is a 19th century two-storey outbuilding of yellow-pink brick with slate roof, gabled to the SE and hipped to the NE, forming staff cottages with a loft above. The rear elevation of the jettied block, to Coach Lane, is covered in painted pebbledash and the rear wall has a chimney stack with exposed fireplace. The ground floor has three glazed doors, two 16-pane sash windows and a small window with cross-pattern glazing. The 17th century extension beyond this has a 16-pane sash window over a square bay window with large panes and its slate hipped roof extends to form a shallow porch. Attached to the rear of the 19th century loft block is No.12 Princes Street (now part of Blue Boar complex) which is a two-storey mid 19th century 'L-plan' house with slate roof, yellow stock brick and with margin-glazed sash windows. To the street is a doorcase with fluted pilasters and rectangular fanlight. To the rear of the main hotel block, which fronts Silver Street is a substantial two-storey mid 19th century kitchen/service extension of yellow stock brick with a mixture of hipped and lean-to slate roofs. This has a rooftop clerestory ventilator with independent hipped slate roof. To the NW of this is a single-storey 'L-plan' block with a plain tile roof and of stock bricks which links to a late 19th century single-storey-plus-loft stable block, of red Flemish-bond brick with black engineering brick jambs to openings. This is relatively unaltered and has projecting gabled loft door and roof of pantiles with Suffolk verge detail. The timber-framed structure immediately to the SW of the carriage arch is the oldest surviving part, and was a three-bay building of two storeys. This appears to be from the late 14th century and is very similar in carpentry detail to the Swan Hotel, High Street (EHER 38348). The part of the main frontage range that now comprises the main entrance contains remnants of a two-bay hall, formerly open-framed at its SW end. This has worked timber features of a character suggestive from the 14th century but of a delicacy more likely to be of the mid 16th century. To the NE of this are fragments of a two-storey cross-wing, the bressummer of which is moulded (to be seen in the dining room) and this suggests two wide shop-like openings to the street. The late 14th century structure (now the bar) is of particular interest and may represent a fragment of an in-line house, at right-angles to the street. In the 1530s, John Church, a leading Burgess of Maldon, and former auditor of Beeleigh Abbey, purchased the property and erected the jettied range to rear. In doing so he converted the whole complex into the Blue Boar Inn in deference to the De Vere, Earl of Oxford, the property being part of the estate of Earls of Maldon. This jettied range provided a wide staircase, a large chamber on each floor and a series of smaller rooms. The carpentry is somewhat old fashioned with octagonal crown posts, and is an apparent attempt to copy the appearance of the older building. <1> See also <2> <3>. See photos <4>. 1986. Test pitting. Three small test pits were dug in 1986 to the rear of the 'gallery' range (probably the 15th century block). An internal test pit at the NW corner uncovered a clay floor with organic material (wood, straw etc), flecks of brick, charcoal, and mortar. This overlay silt with frequent brick and peg tile fragments (one brick was retrieved). An external test pit was dug at the NE corner and found that the foundations of the 'gallery' were abutted by a two course foundation laid header one, not bonded over brick rubble make-up. This may have been for a small recent outbuilding. Another external test pit was dug at the NE corner in which tarmac and 'make-up' sealed a light brown clay with broken brick and peg tile, also charcoal and mortar fragments. The brick foundation of the north wall was found to rest on large flints and one block of limestone, set in a matrix similar to light brown clay above. <5> 'One bay of building at the back of the south end of the main block is probably of 14th century date and to this was added in the 15th century a long wing extending towards the west. Probably in the 16th century the main block was rebuilt....'. The 15th century wing has a projecting upper storey on the north side with an exposed timber frame. The partition of the west side in the 14th century part, has two 14th century doorways and openings at upper level. The partition may have formed a screen at the end of a single-storey hall. The head of the partition is moulded, supporting a king-post and central purlin; adjoining parts of the side walls have moulded wall plates. The roof of the 15th century wing has moulded tie-beams, and moulded and rebated king-posts. <6> <7> The main block was rebuilt in the 16th century. Early in the 17th century it was extended. Some early 17th century panelling remains inside the main block. <6> The east front of the main block is late 18th century grey brick. <7> The site was historically known as 'Crosse's Great Tenement'. Today a number of timber frames remain embedded in the tall early 19th century rebuild. With its east end fronting Silver Street, is the remnants of a cross-wing-like structure of the early 15th century. It is unusual in that many of the timbers are double pegged. In the rear elevation are four ogee headed opening of uncertain function. During the 1540s the site was purchased by Mr Church who erected a jettied two storey purpose-built inn incorporating the earlier build. On the first floor were two large two-bay chambers, the eastern larger and more elaborately decorated. The corresponding room on ground floor was a high status room (now dining room). <8> See photo <9>. The Blue Boar Hotel [NAT]. <10> See also <11> <12> <13>. Site Assessment: Was being altered at time of RCHM visit. <6>