Details
HERTFORD
TL3212SE CASTLE STREET
817-1/20/34 (South side)
10/02/50 Nos.21 AND 23
The Walnuts (No.23) including front
railings
GV II*
House, originally Hall House, now subdivided to form offices
(No.21) and house (No.23). Mid/late C15, altered, part
reconstructed and extended C17 and C18, with 1960s alterations
and shopfront (No.21), and comprehensive restoration 1993-5
(No.23). Timber-framed, plastered, with multiple gabled roofs
with moulded eaves cornice and old tiles. Red brick chimneys
with oversailing courses and long clay pots; twin shafted
stack, linked by oversailing courses at right (west); rendered
brick external chimneybreast at left (east) front.
PLAN: 4 bay plan, hall in central 2, with cross wings in line
and, unjettied, buttery and store at right (west) end of hall.
Hall reconstructed to incorporate first (chamber) floor C17,
and external fireplace added at rear (south). Wings added left
and right late C17, and large rear room ground and first
floors C18 to give double-depth formation. Cellar excavated
below hall at same date.
EXTERIOR: 2 storeys, with attics at right (west). Main
elevation to Castle Street, 5 first floor flush-set wood sash
windows, 8 by 8 pane, with heavy quadrant bars and some crown
glass, within architrave surrounds. 2 right-hand windows have
fascia and cornice above, and plat band below sills. 2 central
windows raised with heads under eaves, left and right windows
in break from front under gables of cross wings. Ground floor
has canted bay with sashes at left, 2 large sashes, 12 pane
above 8 pane in centre, with external 2 panelled wood
shutters, smaller 8 by 8-pane sash at right, with shutters,
with surround similar to first floor. Doorway in right cross
wing with 6 fielded panel door, upper 2 glazed, recessed in
architrave surround, cut by triple keyblock, stone step, flat
doorhood with moulded cornice on cut brackets.
Return left (east) elevation has external rendered
chimneybreast and red brick corner with ramped coping. First
floor 5 light leaded casement window and modern 3 light small
paned wood casement window on ground floor. Projecting
2-storey gabled wing, with outshoot at left faces east, and is
now part of No.21.
Flank elevation has 2 light leaded casement window on first
floor and 2 flush set sashes on ground floor. Principal east
elevation has flush set coupled C19 sashes on first floor
below gable, with single sash, 4 pane above, plain glazing
below, to left. Ground floor has full width modern projecting
shopfront, with small paned display windows left and right,
central recessed entrance, continuous fascia, moulded cornice
and flat roof.
Side (west) elevation to No.23 has hipped return, gabled
staircase turret rising to attic, and right (south) projecting
wing, 2 storeys and attic, with gables facing west and south.
Scattered fenestration, mainly C20 wood 2- and 3-light
small-paned casements, but with 3-light oak mullioned window
on first floor to left of stair turret.
Rear (south) elevation gabled at left, with later construction
of south wing oversailing and concealing half of second gable;
first floor with oak mullion and transom window at left,
12-pane flush-set sash in centre, and 1 large slightly
recessed 12-pane sash in south wing at right. Ground floor has
C20 black weatherboarded tiled-roofed lean-to and conservatory
at left, and 1 large triple sash, 4:12:4-panes at right in
south wing.
INTERIOR: (No.21) Ground floor much altered and opened out;
first floor east front room has C17 panelling and a cornice of
crude triglyph and strap ornament.
(No.23) Vestibule in west cross wing leads left into central
hall through mid/late C15 twin ogee headed doorways, with
chamfered jambs. To right of vestibule is C17 west wing. Hall
has substantial C17 brick fireplace in centre of rear wall.
Late C17 oak panelling; behind panelling of front wall
immediately right of screens, and hard against ceiling and
mid-plate is unglazed early C17 3-light window with ovolo
moulded mullions and intermediate slender diamond mullions to
anchor leaded glazing (no longer extant). Heavy beam supports
inserted first floor. To left of fireplace is spiral timber
newel staircase leading to first floor. Large rear ground
floor room has C18 moulded wood cornice.
Main stair has C20 turned balusters; adjoining short top
flight to large rear bedroom, a fragment of mid C19 wallpaper,
with a motif of an arched surround framing landscape and
garden scenes, printed in sepia, was extant at time of
inspection. Large rear bedroom altered 1994 to incorporate
integral bathroom. Large front chamber above hall, central tie
beam has filled mortice indicating the existence of
longitudinal beams, removed when ceiling raised in C18; at
east end, tie beam has a roughly cut back arch brace against
outer wall post. Much altered bolection moulded fire surround;
C17 panelling part reset.
West cross wing ceiled at collar level; crown post roof. C17
rear west wing rear bedroom has oak mullion and transom
window; dogleg stair from first floor to attics, newel with
moulded cap. Gabled attic has door to second attic to east,
now partly enclosed by roof over rear (south) C18 wing, but
earlier roof structure partly intact, including 3-light window
in south gable, now covered by roughcast externally. Roof over
rear bedroom much restored with C20 sawn timber. Roof over
west cross-wing halved and pegged rafters. Roof over hall has
smoke-blackened rafters, halved and pegged, but clearly reset
as assembly marks and mortices for former collars (now
removed) are not consistent; no remains of former crown post
structure. The roof is now stiffened by a C18 peg-jointed
queen strut and side purlin structure. Cellar beneath hall of
No.23 has red brick walls and paviour floor; C18 trelliswork
meat safe with plank door with HL-hinges.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: along the street frontage are mid C19
cast-iron railings with spear uprights, bay supports with urn
finials and ogee bracing.
HISTORICAL NOTE: this building, with others in Castle Street
and West Street lay outside Hertford in the Brickendon Liberty
until the mid C17. In the late C19/early C20 'The Walnuts' was
the home of the Hertfordshire historian and antiquarian RT
Andrews.
(Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England): An
Inventory of the Historical Monuments of Hertfordshire:
London: 1910-: 71; The Buildings of England: Pevsner N:
Hertfordshire: Harmondsworth: 1977-: 191).
Listing NGR: TL3257812412
