Building record LVM 124 - 40-43 Prentice Street

Numbers 40, 41, 42 and 43 Prentice Street represent a single late-medieval house which, having undergone various phases of development and sub-division, is currently occupied as four separate cottages. The original timber-framed structure dates from the second or third quarter of the 15th century, and follows the standard layout of domestic buildings at this period (as described in the Appendix, which should be read before progressing further). The central hall (no. 42), which was open to its roof and heated by means of an open hearth burning on the floor, has been completely reconstructed, but the service cross-wing survives to the right (uphill, no.43) and much of the in-line parlour to the left (no.41). The house is typical of those belonging to lower and middle-ranking merchants, and the extraordinary dominance of broadcloth production in the contemporary Lavenham economy (accounting for the vast majority of the town’s wealth) suggests it may well have been owned by someone engaged in the woollen industry. Although the room plan is standard, unusual features include a shop front in the service wing and service doors of unequal width. The house appears to have been divided into two tenements during the 17th century, by which time Lavenham had been reduced to relative poverty, and lack of resources coupled with greater demand for domestic privacy combined to increase dramatically the demand for smaller properties. This sub-division entailed the insertion of a large brick chimney in the upper bay of the hall, containing back-to-back cooking fireplaces, and the addition of a large extension to the parlour gable. The timber frame of the new extension had almost certainly been re-cycled from elsewhere.