Description

SAFFRON WALDEN

TL5338 CHURCH YARD 669-1/1/119 (North side) 01/11/72 Vergers Cottage and Parish Room (Formerly Listed as: CHURCH YARD The Parish Office adjoining the Parish room)

GV II

House. Early C16 with C17/C18 lean-to and late C19 parish rooms, also C20 addition to parish rooms. Timber framing, stone and brick, peg-tiled roofs. Plan T shaped of original house and principal parish rooms plus rear C19 wing. 2 and 3 storeys. Front, S elevation: gabled and jettied C16 house at W end, timber framing exposed, totally restored on ground floor, original framing above but plate horns and jetty bressumer cut back apparently to receive an all over plastered finish in C17/C18. End jetty brackets now replaced by C19 version with curve reversed and with continuous plain pilaster below. Sill now on C19 snecked ashlar base. Ground floor has C19 2-light arched headed window moulded framing. Doorway similar with C18 fielded 2-panel door. First floor, C19 3-light oriel window, wooden corbelled base, similar to window below, flat leaded roof. Framing of first floor and gable of original close studding. W side of house has lean-to with catslide roof from house, timber-framed and rendered with ashlar lining, 2-light C19 metal casement window, 6x4 panes. To E, parish rooms of 1880's, continuous range with 3 large similar gabled windows taken through roof eaves, timber decoration of `Cheshire' style, herringbone gables and quadrant panels below. Windows have 2 mullions and eaves level transom, 6 lights of leaded panes. Row of recurved braces link windows. High snecked ashlar plinth below sill. E end has 2-leaf boarded and battened door overlight of 4 lancets. Central timber, lead and copper lantern has turned baluster framing. E end of block, C20 extension in red brick with segment headed casement windows. Rear N elevation: ground falls to N and house unit of 3 original floors, rendered framing. Prominent gable end stack with stone and flint rubble base has 2-light casement window 4x2 panes in heavy rough timber frame cut through. C17 red brick above with fixed light window cut through, rebuilt in C19 at apex. Also second C18 shaft swept in from W side, red brick with scored pointing. On E side of stack simple casement window on each floor. To E, parish rooms with N wing, C19 red brick but W face of wing has included flint panel work. Irregular fenestration with mixture of flat and segment heads, plain doorways, one though set in internal porch with fixed 2x4 paned side lights. C20 addition has segment headed casement windows. E end elevation: C20 work in similar style. W end elevation: lean-to to house, doorway with C17 shadow planed moulded boarded door and adjacent 2-light C19 iron casement window 6x4 panes. INTERIOR OF HOUSE: close studded framing in semi-basement as well as rest. External curved tension bracing at rear on first floor. Open 2 bays on each floor. Ground floor ceiling binding joist has cyma and hollow chamfer mouldings with run-out stops, common joists roll moulded. Other members have step-stopped chamfers. First floor, window shutter grooves at front and back. Rear stair, ground to first floor flight in secondary stair tower, subsequently raised. Upper doorway site, pre-dates present stair system. Ground floor fireplace construction with timber lintel suggests possible timber-framed chimney before present stack. Lean-to has stair to lower floor with second rear fireplace. The building does not appear to have been a cross-wing to a hall but to have been free standing. Similar buildings are known, built for church use. cf. The Chantry Priest's House, Maldon, Essex which also has a high rear doorway. Current renovation has revealed C17 arrow protection symbols on upper rear doorway, remains of original front doorframe behind restoration work. Rubble footing of stack contains moulded fragments of stone, predominantly double ogee, also, part of a doorway jamb with double chamfer, brooch and ball stops. Traces of original paint. These fragments probably came from the church when rebuilt by Wastell and Clerk in C15/16. (Hewett C: English Historic Carpentry: Chichester: 1980-: 198,199).

Listing NGR: TL5371638647

External Links

• Wikidata Q26490702

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