There and Back

The houses in Benton Street vary considerably in size, from the properties listed first in this post, (number 37 to 41) to the grand ones like the Old Manse further down the road and also Benton End House. Still a beautiful street, despite the modern curse of traffic which is reaching a point where something will need to be done to alleviate the problem. There are a few closed pubs in the street, the ones not shown here are the Black Swan at number 4 and the Falcon at number 63, as neither are listed buildings.  So, onto a few of the listed buildings. Numbers 37 to 41, are probably of C17 origin, classed as a `range of tenements` over two storeys with an attic. It`s the usual timber-framed and plastered building, and is listed as having a `Central ground floor entry with double doors` but now has more doors added, it appears. Probably when the house was divided up into the three properties which it now appears to be. The Old Manse at number 90 Benton Street is an C18 building over ...

If you are ever visiting Hadleigh in Suffolk, then a visit to the beautiful complex consisting of the Guildhall, St Mary`s Church, and Archdeacon`s Gatehouse, is a must.  While most of the buildings which are Listed in Hadleigh are Grade 2, this group of buildings are all Group 1 - except the wall, which is Grade 2. The buildings known locally as the Guildhall are made up of three buildings. The Market House, The Guilds Halls and The New Town Hall (Grand Hall) are situated on land that belonged originally to the Manor of Toppesfield Hall.  Some History: In 1252 Henry  III  granted to Gilbert de Kirkeby, Lauretta his wife and their heirs: a weekly market and an annual fair. By 1438 the Lord of the Manor was William de Clopton; he granted these rights including the rights to the Market House to 15 Hadleigh Trustees, initially for a payment of 6s 8d. (34p) a year, the Hadleigh Market Feoffment was formed to manage the market and buildings. Later the Guil...