Building record BSE 764 - 6 St Mary's Square

No.6 St Mary’s Square is the southern half of a nine bay brick building of three storeys with basements. The private dwelling dates from the early 1500s, with timber framing seen internally. The house has important alterations from the early 1700s, when two bays were added to either side and the house re-fronted in fine brickwork. This work was potentially carried out by the prominent local family, the Horseys, who owned the house in 1757.

The house was then associated with the Kilderbee family. Samuel Kilderbee married the daughter of Samuel Horsey, in 1787. Samuel Kilderbee was from a wealthy Ipswich family, know to be liberal and eccentric, and his parents patrons of the painter Thomas Gainsbourgh. c1803-1808 the house was owned and occupied by architect Francis Sandys who oversaw the initial building works of Ickworth House. Sandys is most likely responsible for extending and subdividing the house, with the extensions to No.5 being more substantial and grander and the more modest to Sandys’ residence, No.6. From 1809, No.6 was occupied by Thomas Clarkson, a leading antislavery agitator. During the C20th the building was used as office spaces before returning to residential use. A rear kitchen extension was added in 2007/8.

The early 16th century historic core, spans over No.5 & 6 and was originally one house. The house was substantially smaller at this time. In the early 1700s substantial alterations were made to the house. The house was re-fronted with a new brick facade and a two bay extension added to either side of the central five bays. The Georgianised house was then divided into two houses, probably by Francis Sandys around 1803. The extensions and alterations to No.5 are much grander, where as at No.6 the work of this period is modest and consists of the rear chimney stack and a 19th century single storey lean-to which provided a kitchen and enlarged the existing accommodation to create the drawing room (S1).