Description

ST. OSYTH COLCHESTER ROAD
TM 1215
15/146 Nos. 36 and 38
29.4.52

GV II

House, formerly 2 dwellings, now a single residence of the late C15 or earlier with later alterations.

MATERIALS
Exposed timber frame, with tiled roofs being refurbished at the time of inspection.

PLAN
Probably constructed as a hall-house with cross-wing to the north (with ground floor shop) and parlour to the south, now demolished. Rear wing added later.

EXTERIOR
The house has a brick plinth and close-studwork to all wall framing, replaced at the south gable-end. The main range has 3 bays, jettied along the façade, an off-centre entrance with four-centred arched head and upward bracing to the first floor. The windows are C20 casements, with one C19 sash window on the first floor. The stack between the main range and rear wing may be C16 or C17 from the brickwork.

The cross-wing has an off-centre entrance door, with part of an arched head remaining, and central C20 windows to the ground and first floors. There is down-bracing to the north elevation wall frame. A rebuilt end stack is probably of C17 or C18 date. The rear elevation is weather-boarded at first floor and brick at the ground floor, with a large central opening.

The rear wing has a tile-covered hipped roof with gablet. The north elevation has a jetty with a curved jetty bracket. The close studded wall frame has slightly curved downward bracing on the ground floor, and some breeze block panelling. The south elevation has transom and mullion windows on the ground and first floor and close studding pegged into midrails. A C20 lean-to has been added at the rear.

INTERIOR
The refurbishment has enabled a more detailed inspection of the interior. Much of the sole plate has been replaced. There are jowled storey posts and substantial wall posts, and although there are some C20 replacement timbers, the floor frame has heavy chamfered and stopped bridging beams. The façade has an exposed jetty plate and wattle and daub or brick panels. At the south end of the front wall frame, four timber studs and the panels in between, have black, red and white painted square and rosette motifs with white dot decoration. There is no evidence that this scheme continues on the interior of the wall frames.

Between the main range and rear wing there is a large stone and brick inglenook fireplace with a bresummer showing evidence of taper-burns. This fireplace was partly in-filled in the C19 at both ground and first floor levels. A diamond mullion window lies to the left with a shutter groove. The smaller inglenook to the cross-wing has C19 and C20 brick patching and an arched opening. An early C19 hob-grate has been inserted at first floor.

The common rafter roof, with collars, has some plank and softwood replacements at the south gable end of the main range. The tie beams are cranked with arched bracing and the wall plate remains largely intact.

The interior of the rear wing was not inspected.

HISTORY
St Osyth was an important small town in the medieval period, the settlement focussing on the C12 Augustinian Priory (later Abbey) dedicated to the Saxon martyr, St Osyth, who gives the town its name. In the C14 the town was ranked as the eighth richest in Essex, largely because of the Abbey, but also because of the success of the fishery, maritime and wool trade and local cheese and butter production. A small but wealthy merchant class emerged in the town during the C16 and into the early C17. Number 36-38 Colchester Road was a building of some status, which probably had a shop on the ground floor of the cross-wing. A hall-house when constructed, the parlour to the south was demolished and a rear wing added later. Chimney stacks were inserted in the C16 and C17. Some replacement wall-framing and the casement windows are C20.

SOURCES
Essex Historic Buildings Group Newsletter No4.'St Osyth's Maritime Trade and the Local community in the C16. Report on a lecture by Chris Thornton.' April 2009
Brenda Watkin. Unpublished survey drawings. May 2005.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION DECISION
Number 36-38 Colchester Road, St Osyth is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons.
* It is a C15 timber framed building which retains a significant proportion of its original fabric.
* It retains fragmentary wall paintings of c.1600 on the front wall frame interior.
* It possesses quality in construction and craftsmanship.

Listing NGR: TM1234015881

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26621601

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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  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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