Ancient House Museum

Heritage listing

Details TL8683 617-1/5/165 THETFORD WHITE HART STREET (North West side) No.21 Ancient House Museum 03/04/51 GV I Merchant's house, now museum. c1490. Extended to rear early C17. 2 dwellings and shops in early C19. Restored and converted to museum 1924. Exposed timber-frame on flint and brick plinth. Slate roof, pantiles to rear wing. Parallel post-hall house plan. 2 storeys. 6-panelled door left of centre (replaced 1991) under a 4-light hollow and roll-moulded overlight and moulded canopy supported on carved arched braces. Left of this a 4-centred blocked doorway giving access to, probably, a former shop lit through an early C19 sash left with 6/6 glazing bars. Similar sash right of main door and right again an early C19 bowed shop window with 7 glazing bars in 4 tiers. Right of this are studs of 1924 replacing a door opened when converted to shops. The door had an overlight consisting of a 4-light hollow and roll-moulded window. Jettied first floor, the bressumer carried on 4 arched braces and decorated with punched studs. Four 6/6 early C19 sashes to first floor and, to right, one 3-light and one 2-light ovolo-moulded mullioned window with leaded glazing: C17. Gabled roof. Rear consists of a long 2-storey range, partly timber-framed extending west to a flint and gault brick gable. 4 irregular bays marked by one late C19 and one C20 doors and several late C20 casements. Gabled roof. The north side has a brick and flint external stack. Between this range and the front block is a 2-storey-and-attic gabled stairway block of c1600. One casement each floor. INTERIOR: is famous for lavish decoration of bridging beams. Disposition in late C15 was of a cross-passage with two 4-centred doors opening into service rooms to south, a screen also with two 4-centred doorways leading

From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.