The Fleece, West Street, Coggeshall, Essex. - Pictorial Pub Signs on Waymarking.com

At 31 West Street this was a C15th house with additions in the early C17th and many alterations over the last three hundred years. It's now Grade II* listed due to its exceptionally complete details of the early C17th phase, and its later exterior features.

It's timber framed, plastered, and roofed with handmade red plain tiles. A four-bay main range faces north onto the road, West Street, with an early C17th external stack to the rear of the left bay. To the right a C15th two-bay crosswing survives from a former hall house on the site of the present main range and there is a C17th full-length two-storey lean-to to the rear of the main range and crosswing. A C18th two-storey extension to the rear of the left end is roofed as a parallel range. Various other wings, extensions and lean-tos have been added in the C19th and C20th, roofed with pantiles.

The front elevation has a full-length jetty, and below it to the left front one C18th square bay of casements below a pulvinated frieze with a brick support below. Next is a mid-C18th half-glazed door with nine lights, 8 of which are original bullseye glass, one inscribed 'G. 1752', and transferred from an internal position. Then an early C19th splayed bay of sashes of 4-20-20-4 lights with three simple pilasters, and double vehicle doors to a passage through to the garden and outbuildings, formerly stables and coach-houses. To the left of this, the end of the crosswing, is another C19th splayed bay of sashes of 4-20-4 lights and two more simple pilasters. The fascia above the splayed bays is continuous and plain with a moulded shallow canopy.

The first floor has three early C19th tripartite sashes of 4-12-4 lights containing much crown glass. The pargetting on the first floor, with C17/18th vine-leaf frieze and roll-moulding below the eaves has the date 1505 above the central window, this may or may not be original or may be derived from the adjacent Paycockes building. The pargetting designs in the panels below it are all restored or modern and there is a scrolled wrought iron bracket for the inn sign. Internally there are exposed original beams, original wood-burning hearths, and some original bullseye glass in doors and windows.

The first recorded inn keeper was one John Richardson in 1823-4, information taken from Pigot's Directory.

Date of current sign: Date of first pub on site: C15th Name of Artist: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
To log a visit, a photograph of yourself or your GPSr by the pub sign is required. Some description of your visit would be welcome.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.