HITCHIN HUNDRED 



have, however, been mostly refronted in the 1 8th 

 century. The more important are the Angel Inn, 

 mentioned in 1632,™ which is of two stones of 

 timber and plaster and has a tiled roof. It has remains 

 of mediaeval work, although its appearance has been 

 much changed by later alterations. It was originally 

 an L-shapcd building facing on to the market-place. 

 It may have had shops on the ground floor facing the 

 street and a hall and small chamber over them. In 

 the 17th century a staircase was added in the angle 

 between the wings and a small addition made at the 

 back. The upper story projects both in front and at 

 the back. An archway of a type usual in old coaching 

 inns leads into the yard, and is supported on 16th- 

 century brackets carved with birds and flowers. The 

 ■ gables at the back have carved barge-boards— the one 

 more elaborately carved is of the 15th century, and 

 the other of the early 1 7th century. There is a good 

 17th-century staircase with moulded hand-rail and 

 turned balusters. A little southward is the Sun Inn, 

 which was apparently built in the last few years of the 

 1 6th century and is of brick and plastered timber with 

 a tile roof. It was refronted in the I 8th century and 

 later much altered. At the back is a courtyard, 

 which is approached by an archway from the street. 

 It was here that the Commissaries' Court was held in 

 163 9, 10 when Joseph Wigg of North Minims refused 

 to remove his hat upon admonition of the judge, 

 saying he would put oiF his hat if the judge would 

 lend him a cap ; ' he knew where he was : in a 

 place made of wood, stones and other things.' Wigg's 

 example was followed by John Clarke. A new 

 assembly room was built at the' Sun' in 1770." 

 At this inn, too, the courts of the manor of Portman 

 and Foreign are still held at Michaelmas. Further 

 on, near to Bridge Street, is an old 17th-century 

 brick house with a tile roof. It is rectangular in 

 plan ; the windows on the first floor have wooden 

 mullions and transoms, but those on the ground 

 floor were altered in the 18th century. On the 

 north side is a three-centred arch leading into a yard at 

 the back. On the western side of the market-place 

 there are also many houses of the 17th century or 

 possibly earlier, but here again they have been 

 refronted in the :8th century. In High Street, 

 formerly known as Cock Street, is the Cock Hotel, 

 built of timber with plaster and brick filling of 

 probably the 1 6th century. It is an |_-shaped building 

 with a large yard at the back. It is mentioned in the 

 Hitchin Registers in 1617. In Bucklersbury, which 

 probably takes its name from a house which is referred 

 to in the 17th century," is the George Inn, a two- 

 storied building originally built in the 1 6th century 

 or possibly earlier, but now much changed owing to 

 frequent alterations. It has in the middle facing the 

 street a high archway leading into the yard, with a 

 high overhanging gable above. The upper story 

 projects. A little further south is the Hart Inn, 

 probably of the last few years of the 1 6th century. 

 It is of two stories of plastered timber with a tiled 

 roof, and was much altered in the loth century. 



It ha 



HITCHIN 



into the yard behind, around which are plastered 

 timbered buildings with projecting stories. At the 

 front of this archway is a pair of 17th-century gates. 

 The houses in Bridge Street are mostly of brick, 

 but there are a few timber and plaster buildings. 

 No. 2 is a small 16th-century house covered with 

 rough-cast and having a tiled roof. Its principal 

 interest is two early 16th-century barge- boards, one 

 with a guilloche pattern and the other with dragons 

 in low relief. On the opposite side Nos. 21 to 23 

 are interesting old timber and plaster houses with 

 tiled roofs, which may be of about the year 1600. 

 The middle house has a bay window and probably 

 an original door. Nos. 18 and 19 originally formed 

 one 16th-century house of timber and plaster with a 

 tiled roof. On the west side the upper story projects 

 over the river, and on the north over the street. It 

 has a framed archway to the yard behind. At the 

 east end of Bridge Street, looking on to what is 

 called the Triangle, is an interesting timber and 

 plaster house of the 15th century, now much altered 

 and divided into several houses. It is L-shaped 

 in plan with an archway to the yard at the back. 

 The upper story overhangs and had originally an 



Nos. 8 to 11 on the south side of Tilehouse " 

 Street were originally one house dating from the 

 early part of the 17th century, but have been much 

 altered. The Three Tuns Inn with the house 

 adjoining it, numbered 11, formed another house of 

 the same date, which has the usual archway leading 

 into a yard. No. 19 is also of the same date and 

 contains some original panelling reset. On the north 

 side is the Coopers' Arms Inn, said to have been the 

 Tilers' Gild Hall. It is built of stone with a tiled 

 roof and dates back to the middle of the 15 th century. 

 It was originally of the courtyard type, but only the 

 south and west wings of it now remain. The south 

 wing, which faces on to the street, contains what 

 remains of the hall, which had an open timbered roof, 

 two trusses of which are still in existence. An 

 additional story, however, was made by the insertion 

 of an upper floor which projected into the street, 

 probably in the 17th century. There is an archway 

 from the street to the yard behind. 



The old Free School at the west end of Tilehouse 

 Street, now a dwelling-house, was built about 1 650," 

 but has been much altered, It is of two stories of 

 plastered timber and brick with a tiled roof. 



There are many old and interesting houses in 

 Queen Street, formerly Dead Street and later Back 

 Lane, with arched entrances into the yards behind. 

 Amongst them may be specially mentioned No. 6, a 

 small 17th-century house of timber and plaster and 

 tiled roof, with an oveihanging gabled front. Nos. 

 103 and 104 were formerly one house, probably the 

 earliest house now remaining in Hitchin. This was 

 built at the end of the 14th or beginning of the 

 15th century, and has masonry foundations with a 

 plaster and timber superstructure and tiled roof. 

 Originally it had a central hall with a kitchen wing 

 the north side, which, together with a part of the 



Lewis Evans Coll. at th 

 it is stated that in the 



School is a date which s 



Herts. Co. Mus. 

 vail of the Free 

 cms to be T. H. 



