Historic Droitwich Its Streets and People

This building was constructed in 1456 as a three-bay, two storey timber-frame house of a type which is now known as a Wealden house, of which many examples are known in other Midland counties and in the south-east.  It has a distinctive appearance, having two jettied end bays which are of two storeys and a middle recessed open hall bay, in front of which the wall plate (the horizontal timber at the top of the front wall) continues on the exterior of the building, supported by exterior arched braces from the two middle trusses, and with coving behind it which went back and down to another horizontal timber at a lower level set back behind the line of the wall plate. 

Substantial oak timbers were used for the structural components, and it seems that this building exemplified a high standard of mediaeval carpentry.  It is no doubt significant that, when a major rebuilding was undertaken 300 years later, three of the original four trusses were retained within the new construction (on a more restricted street frontage) which, to all outward appearances, was a Georgian brick building.  This may suggest that the original single building had by then been sub-divided among later owners, and even that the easternmost range (now No. 26 High Street) had been taken down and replaced with another structure. 

Based on a cursory look at some photographs, it appears that the floorboards of the first floor of this building may be wide boards (possibly 33 cm, or 13 inches) of elm, as in other late mediaeval Droitwich buildings. 

The original timber-frame building must have been an impressive sight on Droitwich's High Street, possibly unique (although that is not certain as other Wealden houses may have existed here, but not survived).  It does not seem to have been part of a terrace of Wealdens, as is the case in other towns, such as Coventry.  It is reasonable to conclude that its first (and later) owners must have been people of wealth and high status. 

As is the case with other mediaeval buildings of similar layout, one end bay would have had private accommodation for the family at ground and first floor levels.  The open hall in the centre of the building would have been the main reception room: the publicly accessible space which displayed the owner's wealth and influence.  The other end bay would have been the service range, with food storage on the ground floor and chamber(s) above for sleeping (of guests or possibly the more highly regarded servants).

Like many mediaeval building complexes, it is quite likely that a detached kitchen was situated at the rear as, given that most cooking was done on an open fire, this reduced the risk of fire damage to the main buildings.