20 North Street

20 North Street
Fig 1 – Ground plan

This house, built in the 15th century, has one of the best medieval frontages in the town. Here is an example of a town-house or shop with its front parallel to the street, with a continuous jetty, the ceiling beams of the ground-floor projecting. This shows that it was built with a first floor and thus was not an open-hall type with a central hearth.

The ground floor rooms have fine moulded ceiling beams and the doorway leading from the front room has moulded, chamfer-stopped jambs and well—carved spandrels. This doorway is identical in style to the two screens-passage doorways in the College (the present Vicarage) leading into the one-time hall there. It is known that the College was built in the church- yard in the reign of Edward IV (1461-1483), so this fact gives a close approximate date to ‘The Olde Cottage’.

To the right of this doorway is a fine brick fireplace with a heavy oak bressummer. The passage beyond the doorway is occupied on the right by the chimney; on the left the stairs rise to the first floor. Above this are attics, a later conversion. In order to make an entry into one of these, a doorway has been cut through a large curved roof-brace.

The short passage from the front restaurant leads into part of an extension built at right angles (more or less) to the North Street building. This now contains an extra dining-room and a bar, the end of which was the rear wall of the medieval building. Continuing from there is the kitchen which was built in the 17th century along with Knott’s Cottages (Fig. 1).

Briscall W., 1987, Discovering Ashford’s Old Buildings, Ashford, LRB Historical Publications

List Entry

List entry Number: 1362884 ➚

Grade: II

Date first listed: 24-Sep-1951

  1. 5344 NORTH STREET [(East Side) No 20 TR 0142 NW 1/78 24.9.51.II GV
  2. A C15 timber-framed house with studded 1st floor overhanging on the protruding ends of the floor joists and a bracket in the centre. 2 storeys and attics. Tiled roof with 2 hipped dormers. 1st floor has 2 mullioned windows with leaded lights. Ground floor has 2 oriel windows with coves.

Nos 14 to 32 (even) form a group.

Listing NGR: TR0107242909