Description

IDE FORE STREET, Ide
SX 99 SW

2/70 Nos 26 and 28
-

GV II

2 adjoining houses. Late medieval origins, considerable later alteration.
Whitewashed rendered cob; corrugated iron roof over thatch to left hand property (no.
28), asbestos slate roof over thatch to right hand property (no. 26), stack at left
end of range, axial stack at right end of no. 28, axial cob stack with brick shaft
projecting through the roof behind the ridge of no. 26.
Complex development. Single depth range, probably 5 rooms wide (interior of no. 28
not inspected). At least 2 phases of late medieval construction. A very heavily
sooted 2-bay medieval roof survives over the left hand end and centre of the range,
as far as the axial stack of no. 26. This stack is aligned with a massive cob wall
which rises to the apex of the roof. To the right of the wall a second smoke-
blackened roof with a higher ridge line extends for 2 bays. The remnants of a 3rd
bay (probably not smoke-blackened) are visible at the extreme right hand of the
range. It seems possible that the roofs represent 2 adjoining open hall houses, the
left hand 2 bays constituting one house, the right hand 3 bays being a second house
that may have had a storeyed l-bay right end. The putative 2-bay house at the left
end presents difficulties of interpretation since the right hand wall projects above
the level of the sooted roof (which is complete with smoke blackened thatch) and the
wall is smoke-blackened above the level of the roof. There seem to be 2 possible
explanations for this: either the present roof is a replacement of an earlier
medieval roof which had a higher ridge line, or there was some form of smoke louvre
at the right end which has sooted the wall above the height of the present roof. The
sequence of flooring over throughout the range is not clear, although some ground
floor details in no. 26 suggest that the putative left end house was floored over
quite late, possibly late C17. There is no hard evidence for a through passage in
the range.
2 storeys. Irregular 2 + 3 window front. No. 28 has a C20 front door at the extreme
right and regular fenestration of C20 small-pane top-hung casements. No. 26 has a
front door at the extreme left and a large boarded opening at the extreme right. To
the left of this opening is a small recess, possibly a blocked door. Various C20
casement windows with diamond leaded panes.
Interior of No. 26: Ground floor room left has a C20 grate, possibly concealing an
earlier fireplace, chamfered axial beam. The narrow central room has a winder stair
against the rear wall. The roofs are of especial interest. The main trusses are
probably jointed crucks. The 2 right hand bays have chamfered butt purlins, cambered
collars mortised into the principals which are butted at the apex with a diagonally
set ridge. The stumps of the extreme right hand bay purlins are visible. One of the
purlins in the left hand bay has broken, the other has a diagonal cut stop and its
left hand end projects through the cob wall being secured with a peg. The 2 left
hand medieval roof bays (below a modern roof) are unusual in being a common rafter
design without a ridge. The extreme left hand bay is very complete with heavily
sooted thatch and battens, some thatch and battens survive over the right hand bay.
A diagonally-set short piece of timber, heavily sooted, is fixed in the right hand
cob wall and is of unknown function. At the right end of the range a chamfered cross
beam with diagonal stops may indicate the storeyed end of the medieval left hand
house.
An open hall window is said to survive beneath the render, having been uncovered some
years ago during renovations. It extended across the line of the first floor and had
timber cusped tracery.
Although the front elevation of the range has been altered in the C20, the 2 houses
are of considerable historical and archaeological interest.

Listing NGR: SX9005090614

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26389303

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.

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