NHER 40617 (Building record) - Diken Cottage, The Old Swan and The Beams, King Street

Two of a range of three timber framed houses dating to the late 17th century, refronted in brick in the early 19th century. Pantiled roof with black glazed pantiles to rear.
See (S1).
A. Cattermole (NLA), 16th July 2004.

September 2003. Building survey.
Diken Cottage seems to have been formed from the end units, probably the parlours or possibly shops, of the two houses on either side. The evidence of the roof structure points to a sixteenth century date of construction for both houses. The house to the west is probably earlier, as that to the east seems to have been built against it. According to [1], the western house may be the actual Old Swan, rather than that to the east, now going under that name.
See report (S2) and photographs in file.
A. Cattermole (NLA), 13 December 2004.

October 2003. Building survey.
The Beams seems to date from the sixteenth century and to have consisted of a single bay room to the east (Diken Cottage) with a large hall comprising the remainder of the house to the west. The hall, with its spectacularly long axial joist, is similar to that found in Dial House, the next house to the west. The building has been relatively little altered apart from the roof change from its original queen posts and the nineteenth century brick cladding.
East end of Diken Cottage is now known as Old Swan. Description of Old Swan (S3) in file but no conclusions added to those for Diken Cottage.
See report (S4) for The Beams and photographs in file.
A. Cattermole (NLA), 13 December 2004.

According to the documents these three houses previously comprised two properties, The Old Swan documented from 1564 and the rest from 1542, but with former owners recorded in both cases. Despite the present name The Swan is documented as the west part of Diken House. It is not named as an inn until 1676, but it was owned by brewers and tapsters from 1601 onwards, the earliest being Henry Wolward a beer brewer. In the early 18th century it changed its name to The Star and by 1818 it had been subdivided into two tenements.
See (S5).
M. Dennis (NLA), 11 May 2006.

May 2004. Dendrochronological analysis.
A single sample was taken from an apparently integral floor joist in the Old Swan. The sample is complete to bark-edge and was felled in the winter of 1573/4. It was utilised green, suggesting that construction took place shortly after this date. The dated timbers are derived from the floor, which is currently interpreted as being integral to the building, but this needs to be checked.
See (S6) for further information.
A. Cattermole (NLA), 10 July 2009.