Description

SAFFRON WALDEN

TL5338 CHURCH STREET
669-1/1/108 (South side)
28/11/51 No.23
Cromwell House

GV II*

House, formerly a shop. C16 with C17 rear addition, C19
refronting, rear C20 refurbishment. Timber-framed and
plastered, peg-tiled and slate roof, red brick stacks. Plan L
shaped. 2 storeys, attics and cellars.
Front N elevation: 3 window range plus 2 doorways alternating
with windows, at E end C19 frontage rebuilt and raised over
previous jettied run that partly remains in block form at E
end. Roof pitch cranked through raising, front slate. Traces
of ashlar lining on plasterwork. Ground floor, E-W, C19
doorway with moulded architrave, door 6 panels, upper 4
glazed, C19 shop window, bracketed sill, moulded architrave, 3
casement lights, glazing bars, 3x4 panes, jetty over, bracket
at E end. Slight building break in jetty with bracket, doorway
with 6 panel door, flush front with 2 C19 window, bracketed
sills, wide moulded architrave, horned sashes with side margin
lights. First floor, E-W, window (over shop) moulded
architrave, sash with thin glazing bars, 4x4 panes. 2 windows
with margin glazing similar to those below. Stack through roof
pitch at W end.
Rear S elevation: street range has slate roofed wing to S at W
end with own stack. Lower wing peg-tiled, added at S end with
ground floor peg-tiled lean-to on E side. Street range of 3
bays with red brick lateral stack at E end. Ground floor, 2
C20 fully glazed doors with glazing bars, C20 2-light casement
between with similar glazing, 4x3 panes. First floor, C20
double `cross' casement window, 2-light metal casement 4x3
panes, C19 cast-iron casement window with `Gothick' arched
glazing bars 3x4 panes. Rear wing features include ground
floor fully glazed C20 door with overlight and side lights,
second stable door and adjacent 2-light casement window 4x3
panes, 3x4 paned `Gothick' window similar to one in street
range. First floor, C20 sash window 4x5 panes, two 2-light
casement window 4x3 panes. E end elevation abuts carriageway
of No.25 (qv).
INTERIOR: framing of late C15 long jettied house partly
exposed, jowled posts, halved and bridled wall plate scarf.
Central entrance doorway leads to undershot cross-passage with
both buttery and pantry doorways evident in E room, both
having 4-centred heads with hollow chamfer mouldings, also
wattle groove and stud mortice evidence of division of service
roooms. Mortice evidence of former spere screens on W side of
cross-passage towards ground floor hall. Above, framing of
chamber exposed with blocked Cl6 tripartite frieze window to
street and end frame against carriageway of No.25 (qv) as open
arched braced truss suggesting build of No.23 later than
No.25. Ceiling of chamber with attic above inserted c1600 with
lamb's tongue stop chamfered bridging joist. Above, simple
crown post roof continuing into W bay. Cellar below service
rooms, large, flint cobble and brick, of various periods. E
wall has flat 4-centred arched recess and triangular headed
candle niche in late medieval brickwork.

Listing NGR: TL5378838566

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17534078

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The Shredded Chef: 120 Recipes for Building Muscle, Getting Lean, and Staying Healthy
• 
  Period property manual, victorian house manual 2 books collection set by ian rock
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas