Building record 179/0/14 - 46 High Street, Nantwich

A fine Elizabethan Town House built soon after the Great Fire of 1583 by Thomas Church (son of Richard Church, builder of Churche's Mansion) at a cost of 120 pounds. Great Chamber contained most valuable possessions and is still panelled and has plaster decoration (1). Twin gabled timber framed building with plaster infilling. Two jetties carried on carved human and animal brackets. Decorative framing to the front (2).

During restoration, following subsidence of the centre of the building, some archaeological remains were observed. The central internal post stood on a low rubble wall. This had sunk into a ditch running perpendicular to High Street and under the building. It was c.2m wide and c.2m deep with an organic fill producing some leather offcuts and late medieval pottery. To either side beneath 25cm of clay was a cobbled surface. At rear of the building was a brick cellar or foundation wall dating to late C16 (3).

<1> Lake J.J., 1981, A History and Guide to Nantwich, /7 (Book). SCH66.

<2> Department of the Environment, 1971-2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Report). SCH1934.

<3> Various, Various, Oral communication to the HER, Turner R C (Oral Communication). SCH2330.