2, Hall Square is a late C17th, 2 ? storey, stone and brick-built town-house of 2-units with brick rear wings, which form a `U? shape plan. It has late C18th fenestration and a brick facade with stone quoins to its front elevation, probably replacing the ogee moulded 3-light transom and mullion timber windows as in the rear wing to left. Although the gable-end elevations are rendered, an old photo shows that the south gable-end is brick-built, suggesting it is probably all brick-built with stone work only in the basement. The interior has an original well-stair stair between attic and cellar, moulded plaster ceilings and some 2-panel doorways with bolection mouldings. The C17th ceiling-beams have been plastered over with C18th bar and scallop stops.

The front facades late C18th fenestration consists of `Venetian? type sashes flanking the ground entrance with contemporary tripartite sash windows above flanking a central 15 pane sash window. The facade is of brick with stone quoins and kneelers to coping stones of gable-end. There is a deep projecting moulded timber to eaves roof line and two dormer gables with hip roofs. There are brick chimneys at each gable-end formerly with tall stacks (now reduced) and having joined-up individual shafts seated on a cogged base.
The facade doorway has a panelled wood door-case with open pediment and Gothic glazing to fan-light.
The entrance leads into a reception-room with blocked gable-end fireplace and 3 transverse chamfered ceiling-beams with moulded plaster stops and the room is now open to its elaborate late C17th well stair. It has moulded strings and hand-rail, barley twist balusters and capped newels with bead mouldings and corresponding balusters/hand-rail against the side walls. The stairs lowest flight blocks a full height cupboard and the pattern at first-floor indicates that this part has been altered slightly to face the entrance.

A 6-panel doorway has `L? shape hinges, bolection moulding to its architrave and leads to a parlour-room to left. This room has elaborate long and low panels between dado and an elaborate moulded plaster ceiling, all contemporary with the late C18th Venetian windows. The two transverse ceiling-beams are plaster moulded and there are circular moulded motifs to each ceiling panel. The fireplace in the rear wall is part blocked by a modern fireplace, said to have a cupboard in panelling to left side. This fireplace is of the same period its hearth seated on corbels and later timbers in the basement. An odd projection in the gable-end wall, which the panelling goes around, suggests an earlier fireplace has been blocked up.

The brick-built, left rear-wing, perhaps a former kitchen?, is reached by a lobby to the left side of the stairs from the reception-room. It is now fairly plain, but retains early C18th two-panel doors with elaborate `L? and `H? hinges. An arched alcove in the north wall has reed moulded pilasters to each side, but may have formerly been a fireplace. At the east gable-end wall there is a 3-light transom & mullion window with ogee mouldings, of late-C17 or early-C18th date. A doorway to right of the alcove was probably a cupboard but now gives access through the gable-end to an annexe.

A brick-built wing to right side was probably a service-room (cellar below) and there is evidence for a service-stair rising to right side of the main stair. This stair probably went to the room over the reception room and presumably was closed when the main stairs were altered.

The basement rooms are reached from the lobby by a stone stair which divides at mezzanine, leading to rear and front rooms. A splayed opening in the south wall at mezzanine level is either a blocked window, or simply a place to site an oil lamp. At the base of the stairs there are timber-framed and bead moulded doorways, which lead into cobbled stone floors. The front part is divided by a stone partition wall with plain chamfered timber doorway into two rooms, each with transverse, narrow-chamfered ceiling-beams and plain flat-section joists. The position of the ceiling-beams indicates the stone wall is secondary, perhaps relating to late C18th alterations to facade and parlour-room. The left room has had its joists removed and has a higher plaster ceiling. In the ceiling there are two large corbel stones and timber joists, which support the fireplace hearth above to the parlour-room. A recess in the rear wall, between ceiling-beam and partition may be a blocked opening to a cellar under the former kitchen. The south gable-end has a recent lining of block-work, obscuring any evidence, for or against a fireplace opening.

At first-floor there are two axial ceiling-beams to each front. These rooms are divided by square panels of mortised and pegged timber-frames, in-filled with wattle & daub. The room to right has C18th panelling of 3-panels height and moulded cornice against the gable-end wall. There is an `H? hinged cupboard to right of the fireplace with surviving mantle piece and the room has the same plastered ceiling-beams and stops. There is a plain room over the former kitchen with sash window in gable-end.

The stairs continues to the attic with two rooms to front lit by hipped dormer windows. There is no visible roof-truss, but assumed to be one hidden in the partition.

A room in the rear left side wing has the apparent remains of a framed chimney (see drawing), presumably serving the first-floor originally. The chimney is in front of what must be a later gable-end window. The roof has 2 pairs of side-purlins, the lower one is interrupted by the trusses into which they are mortised & pegged. These truss upper ends are mortised & pegged into the continuous top purlin. There are vacant mortises for tie-beams and the front truss has a groove for wattle staves as though it was originally framed and in-filled with wattle & daub.

This buildings original form may have begun as an early C17th, stone-built, gable-end chimney, town-house of 2-units with timber-framed front, later re-built in brick. This is based on the heavily moulded timber at eaves level relating to a timber-framed front and stonework to basement, being replaced in brick with Venetian window facade of the late C18th. If as seems likely much of the building is brick-built this argument would be false. There are other features such as an internal projection to the north gable indicating an earlier gable-end fireplace in the parlour or a latrine from above. The present fireplace is later, its hearth supported on secondary timbers and stone corbels. Similarly there is the framed fireplace in the roof timbers over the rear wing to left, which might indicate an earlier period. Also the present stair at ground level blocks an earlier cupboard.

However, its development may have been less complicated as follows:-
1. Late-C17th ? A 2 ?-storey, brick built, 3-unit, town-house of `L? shape plan with a stone basement and rear stair projection. Main facade originally built with 3-light transom windows (as window in former kitchen).

2. Late C18th?Re-fronted with Venetian windows and 2 ? storey brick service-wing added to rear on right side. New fireplace and panelling to parlour-room added. Basement stone dividing wall inserted to support floor. Basement ceiling under parlour room re-joisted and plastered. A wide opening in basement front stone wall under parlour blocked in brick, perhaps once a shop? On ground and first-floors the ceiling-beams were plastered over with bar and scallop stops and first-floor panelling to room over reception room added. The lower flight of stair at ground-floor adjusted to open towards the front rather than towards centre.

3. Late C20th?Building repaired and restored with links added to former detached annexe at rear roofed over. Brick stacks reduced in height. Gable-end walls rendered.


Visited,Geoff Ward, 21/10/2004.