Description

BRENTWOOD

TQ59SE LONDON ROAD, South Weald
723-1/8/287 (North side)
21/10/58 The Golden Fleece Inn

II*

House now public house. c1400, early C16, C18, C19, C20.
Timber-framed and plastered, peg-tiled roofs. H-plan with C18
and C19 rear and end additions.
EXTERIOR: 2 storey. Front S, elevation, central range with
flanking, jettied cross-wings of unequal size, W small, E
larger. Central rectangular stack and stack with 4 diagonal
shafts at junction with W cross-wing, also similar stack of 3
shafts, partly rendered, on E side of E cross-wing. Inner
plain stack through roof of W cross-wing. Plain parapet on
central range. Ground floor, E-W, jettty with part of original
bressumer, moulded with hollow and roll. Early C19 canted bay
window, horned sashes with glazing bars, 2x4, 4x4, 2x4 panes,
early C19 horned sash window with glazing bars, 4x4 panes with
moulded architrave. Central C20 door, boarded and battened
with with upper lozenge light. Early C20 casement in earlier
frame, glazing bars, 4x4 panes. Old doorway (on cross passage
site) now a fixed window with glazing bars, 4x4 panes. W
cross-wing jetty with C18 cornice and early C20 bay window
with glazing bars, 5x5 panes. Lean-to out-shut with early C20
fixed window with glazing bars, 3x3 panes. First floor, E-W,
cross-wing has triple sash window with glazing bars, 1x4, 3x4,
1x4 panes, small fixed light in roof space above. Central
range, 2 early C19 sash windows with glazing bars, 4x4 panes.
W cross-wing C18 cornice and Venetian sash window, 1x4, 3x4,
1x4 panes. Rear has considerable C20 work butted onto old
block and not to be included in this listing. Rear of centre
range has C18 infilling between cross-wings consisting of 3
equal units, each with a hipped and peg-tiled roof and a
2-light casement window with glazing bars, 4x2 panes. E
cross-wing has a fixed light in roof space and W cros-wing has
a plain first floor 2-light casement window. E end elevation
ahs a projecting stack with old bricks, c1600, below rebuilt
shafts. First floor, N end, early C19 sash window with moulded
architrave, glazing bars, 3x4 panes. C20 shed, stair and rear
addition. W end. First floor, S end small doorway. To N C18
addition. First floor, one 2-light and one 4-light casement
window, both early C20. Considerable C20 additions masking old
structure.
INTERIOR: timber structure exposed and of 2 periods: (1) W
cross-wing with crown post roof to 2-bayed upper chamber,
tie-beam cambered, crown post 4-way braced, c1400, very short
base and capital merge. Remains of single mullioned window on
E side of upper chamber masked by later addition of hall. (2)
early C16 open hall and E cross-wing, both of similar high
style with deep arched braced trusses, stabilised by spur ties
from principal posts. Hall central truss different having
queen posts on a tie-beam with intermediate arched bracing to
a slightly cambered collar. The arched braces descended to
curved corbels on the centre posts and were in 2 joined
sections to gain depth. Clasped side purlins and ogee curved
wind braces support the roof rafters. E cross-wing has a
2-bayed front upper chamber with the deep arched braces rising
to a well cambered collar (no upper structure). Clasped side
purlin roof has ogee wind braces on E pitch and simple
compassed braces on W. Rear 2 bays of E cross-wing of similar
construction with plain queen posts on tie-beams. Other
features of hall and E cross-wing include close studding with
exterior tension bracing and principal membersrichly moulded
with double ogee and hollow, half rolls and cyma. Domestic
features include 2 original doorways, with 4-centred arched
heads, from hall to E and W cross-wings and a doorway at each
end of the rear of the hall. 2 similar doorways remain in the
rear section of the E cross-wing on ground and first floors.
Spacing of principal decorated posts on the front of the hall
block indicated the site of the hall window and confirm the
door evidence, that the E end was the 'high' end of the
building. Shutter groove and peg evidence at the front of the
E cross-wing indicates the existence of large windows on the
ground and first floor. Fireplaces are all rebuilt but in the
hall and E cross-wing they remain in original position.
HISTORICAL NOTE: the high level of construction in phase (2)
providing a remarkable 4-bayed open hall and cross-wing of
similar status, has caused local historians to speculate as to
whether the improvements were done by Waltham Abbey to provide
a court house on their land in order to draw prestige and
trade away from Brentwood, which was held by St Osyth's Abbey.
If so it was added to an earlier existing building, the W
cross-wing.
(RCHM: Central and SW Essex : Monument 5: 217; The Buildings
of England: Pevsner N: Essex: 1965-: 361).

Listing NGR: TQ5777892916

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17544926

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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