Building record LVM 151 - 13 Prentice Street

13 Prentice Street dates from about 1370 and it survived the great rebuilding that swept the town in the 15th and 16th centuries. The original structure contained a centrlal hall that was open to its rafters and heated by a open hearth. The open truss which spanned the hall roof remains completely intact including its carved octagonal crown post. The two ends of the house were floored over from the outset and contained a parlour bedchamber of just 9 feet in length to the right and an entrance passage and storage area of 10 feet to the left. The narrow proportions of the parlour and storage area relative to the hall, which with its 'undershot' entrance passage extended to 22 feet in length, are typical of the 14th century and not normally found elsewhere in Lavenham, The external appearance of the buildining is also characteristic of thei early period, with widely-spaced timbers and elaborate 'ogee' bracing which sharply contrast with the close-studding and jettied gables of the later houses for which the town is best known (S1).