Hertford, All Saints

59. ALL SAINTS.

(O.S. 6 in. xxix. S.E.)

Secular

(1). The Old Rectory, N.W. of the parish church (see Brickendon), is built of plastered timber; the roof is tiled. The house is dated 1631, the date appearing on the front door, and was originally of the H type, but has been enlarged and much altered. The hall was probably formerly in the central block, with the parlour, kitchen, etc., in the wings. The only original detail is the front door, which has elaborately mitred panels.

Condition—Good, but much altered.

(2). Hale's Grammar School, N.E. of the parish church, is a brick house of one storey and an attic, built c. 1617. The plan, facing N. and S., is rectangular, with a projecting porch on the S. and a staircase wing on the N. Both ground floor and attic are now divided into several rooms, but the ground floor appears to have had originally no partitions. The E. and W. walls and the porch and staircase wing are gabled, and a modern double gable has been added at the E. end of the S. wall, giving more light and space in the attic. The windows and the entrance to the porch are modern, but the inner doorway is original, and has an opening with a semi-circular head in a rectangular oak frame with sunk spandrels and moulded jambs; the door is constructed of moulded battens, and has the date 1667 worked on it in nails, but it is of an earlier period, and may be original.

Condition—Good; the interior has been much altered.

(3). Lombard House, on the river Lea, now the Conservative Club, is of two storeys, built early in the 17th century, of plastered timber and brick; the roof is tiled. The plan is rectangular, and the interior has been completely altered. The main front was faced with brick early in the 18th century, but the back, overlooking the river, is almost in its original state. It has five gables above the overhanging upper storey, and original wood-mullioned windows. Several rooms have early 17th-century panelling, and in the entrance hall is a carved oak mantelpiece of the same date, with two shields of arms: parted cheveronwise, three griffins' heads; and, vair, a chief. Both panelling and mantelpiece are probably re-set.

Condition—Good.

Fore Street, N. side (see also St. Andrew and St. John, Hertford):—

(4). House, of late 17th-century date, a plastered building, probably of brick, is of three storeys and an attic; the roofs are tiled. Under the eaves is a simple cornice, and the walls are decorated with large plaster panels of acanthus foliage, modelled in relief. The windows have been altered.

Condition—Good.

S. side (see also St. Andrew)

(5). The Salisbury Hotel is a brick and timber house of early 17th-century date. It is built round a courtyard, with staircases in each wing, but the rest of the original arrangement was much altered in the 18th and 19th centuries, and there are now other buildings in the courtyard. The elevation facing Fore Street is practically modern, but that facing Church Street, with an overhanging upper storey, is original. The lower part of the main staircase is also original, and has square-moulded, raking balusters, moulded hand-rails, and square moulded newels with pierced heads. Another original staircase remains in the kitchen wing, on the W. of the court. In several rooms is plain panelling of early 17th-century date, possibly re-set.

Condition—Good; much altered and repaired.

(6). The Old Coffee-House Inn, at the corner of Maidenhead Street and Honey Lane, is a two-storeyed, timber and plaster building of early 17th-century date; the roof is tiled. The ground floor retains no original features, but the projecting upper storey has, on both the street elevations, carved and moulded baluster pilasters and a plain coved plaster cornice; the bay windows were added at a later date.

Condition—Fairly good; much altered internally.