Description

SAFFRON WALDEN

TL5338 BRIDGE STREET
669-1/1/23 (West side)
28/11/51 Nos.5 AND 7

GV II*

2 houses. Late C15 and earlier, late C17 rear addition.
Timber-framed partly exposed, plastered. 2 storeys and attic.
L-plan.
E front elevation: to S, (No.5), tall late C15 jettied range
with roll moulded and embattled bressumer. First floor,
exposed studs, disturbed, very closely set, irregular and
plaster infilling set well back with 2 c1900 casement windows
with twin roll moulded architraves. Ground floor, 3 bracketed
posts to principal jetty with capital decorated pilasters,
brackets hollow chamfered, also, one lesser bracketed joist.
Central late C19 boarded door with vertical battens. Each
side, casements with glazing bars, to S, of 2 lights, 4x3
panes, to N of 3 lights, 3x3 panes. Over S window, bay spanned
by original horizontal rail with studding over, framing
original opening, also later inserted rail above, carrying
simple boarding. To N, gabled jettied block on much smaller
scale, partly under the roof of S block, plastered with some
combed pargetting in the gable. Jetty has 4 plain curved
brackets, wall plates above have horns. Single 3-light
casement window with horizontal glazing bar, 3x2 panes on
ground and first floors. Upper window has c1900 architrave
similar to those in No.5. Simple 2 panel door.
Rear, W elevation: No.5: timber frame C20 rendered, central
C20 `stable' door with upper light, large over-light made from
old 3x3 paned sash turned sideways. Adjacent large C18 exposed
exterior red brick stack but house partly extended out and
projected round on upper floor, shaft emerges through extended
roof pitch. Ground, first floor and intermediate irregular C19
casement windows, 2x2 panes, single pane, 2-light 2x2 panes
respectively. No.7 rear wing running back from street, rear
run narrower and clearly added to front block which is
considerably obscured by No.9 (qv) but robust C18 red brick
stack, header bond, seen on N flank wall with plain 2-light
casement window adjacent on first floor, also C20 door on W
end wall, upper glazing and lower panel. Narrower block,
timber-framed, C17, but restored in C20 and rendered.
N side elevation: boarded door and adjacent C20 2-light
casement. First floor, pair of similar windows together under
lifted eaves. W end elevation: lean-to as catslide on S side,
weatherboarded with simple door, adjacent C20 plain casement
window.
INTERIOR: No.5. Heavy framing with internal arched bracing
nailed to studs. Well preserved hall/service partition framing
on ground floor with 2 late C15 decorative doorways intact,
cyma and hollow chamfer moulded with leaf and bud decoration
of spandrels. Service bay has lack of studs to street and may
originally have been a medieval shop. Also simple doorway
aperture adjacent to rear service doorway probably led to
original stair. Present timber-framed stair is projected out
behind service bay and clearly added, access cut through late
C15 frame and framing of long window as stair light evident.
Principal jettied floor/ceiling of hall, one bay only, heavy
construction, binding and bridging joist and flat laid common
joists with diminished haunched soffit tenons. C18 rear
lateral stack now has fireplace rebuilt in C20. First floor.
Hall/service braced partition partly remains. Site of window
to street in service bay clear, sill and shutter groove. Attic
created in C20 has elegant wind-braced trapped side-purlin
roof. Plaster and wooden pigeon loft with nesting boxes
remains under E roof pitch.
No.7. Framing somewhat obscured but 2-bayed earlier wing at
front evident with central open truss on first floor. Rear
weathered framing of this wing with exterior tension brace
seating (second one also seen from rear of No.5). Principal
framing of addition at rear visible.
HISTORICAL NOTE: the abrupt change between the builds of No.5
and No.7 shows 2 builds - No.7 is oldest, probably the
cross-wing of an L hall-house. The rebuilding as a long jetty
house apparently began from the service end and stopped at
mid-hall length against the older cross-wing with the probable
intention of completing the high end at a later date, that
never took place.
(The Buildings of England: Pevsner N & Ratcliffe E: Essex:
London: 1965-: 335).

Listing NGR: TL5356438630

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17534202

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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