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Site

The Ancient House

Site: The Ancient House (2 memorials)

E17, Orford Road

Generally agreed to be one of the oldest houses in London. From : "...1435 seems to be the most agreed-upon year of construction. It was originally a hall house, centred around the titular hall, the largest space in the house where the fire was burnt and the main residents slept on the floor. It is known that the format of the house has changed gradually, but major restorations took place in 1934, and again from 2001-2002. In 1934, some of its exposed brick outer walls were rebuilt. In particular, one was consciously arranged at an angle to give it the impression of Tudor brickwork. The early 21st-century works included the installation of a plaque that brought attention to this fact. The building is currently divided into four dwellings. A renovation during the 1930s was undertaken by the firm Fuller’s, as a memorial to their recently deceased founder, W. G. Fuller. The more recent works were done by Butler & Hegarty."

has "Facing the church­yard, the timber-framed Ancient House (formerly the White House ... dates from the 15th century, with a west wing rebuilt in the 16th."

has: "This 15th century timber-framed building was allowed to deteriorate and at one time it was used as a bicycle shop, but it was restored in 1934. Beside the bow window (which is a late addition) a section of the old wattle and daub construction of the walls is visible behind glass. Similarly the pavement has been cut away and replaced by glass along the frontage to show the original ground level and to show how much it has risen in nearly six centuries."

The (and other property sites) has some photos of the interior.

The plaque referring to both restorations is on the flank wall, on the single storey back extension.

2023: We wrote to asking for information about the lost plaque and about (George) William Fuller but received no reply.  It seems that some people Just don't find lost plaques as fascinating as we do.

This section lists the memorials located at this site:
The Ancient House

Memorialsi

The Ancient House - 1934 restoration - lost

This image comes from Atlas Obscura. We did not see this plaque in 2022 so as...

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The Ancient House - restored twice

An unusual plaque, in that it focuses entirely on the authenticity, or otherw...

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