173, High Street, Berkhamsted

Medieval building in Hertfordshire, England November 2019 thumb|right|173 High Street, one of several buildings in Berkhamsted that have medieval origins; it is the oldest jettied timber building in the United Kingdom 173, High Street, Berkhamsted, is a medieval building in Hertfordshire, England. It is considered to be the oldest extant jettied timber framed building in Great Britain, dated by dendrochronology of structural timbers to between 1277 and 1297.1246942 173 High Street, Berkhamsted 8 April 2015 At the time of the building's construction, the town of Berkhamsted was a relatively large, flourishing wool trading market town that benefited from having an important royal castle.Slater Goose 2008 56, 240–241Thompson Bryant 2005 9 History The building was given a Victorian facade and was used as a pharmacy in the nineteenth century. Its historical significance was not recognised until 2001 when it was Grade II* listed after the medieval timber framing was exposed during renovation work. It is currently used as an estate agent's. The building received two grants from English Heritage, one for investigations and one for conservation work.http://www.engineering-timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=559 173 High Street, Berkhamsted www.engineering-timelines.com 8 April 2017 Dr Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, said "This is an amazing discovery. It gives an extraordinary insight into how Berkhamsted High Street would have looked in medieval times."26 February 2003 BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2801215.stm Restoration boost for oldest shop 20 February 2017 Initially, the investigations suggested that it had always been a shop, as there was evidence for the existence of a jeweller or goldsmith's shop with a workshop behind. This generated headlines to the effect that the country's "oldest shop" had been discovered.Kennedy Maev 27 February 2003 The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/feb/27/shopping.maevkennedy Victorian facade hides the oldest shop in England 21 February 2017 The age of the building would make it a contender for the title,Other claimants for the title of oldest shop appear to be of more recent construction: https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/apr/25/england-oldest-shop-chiddingstone-kent England's oldest shop seeks new proprietor 28 April 2011 The Guardian 23 April 2021 but there is doubt about how long it served as a shop. It is now believed to have originally been a jettied service wing to a larger aisled hall house, which has since disappeared.http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-442-1/dissemination/pdf/heritage1-11393.pdf 343-351 HIGH STREET (Desk based assessment) Semmelmann Karin 2004 The Heritage Network Ltd See also Dean Incent's House (also on High Street, Berkhamsted) References Sources Slater T.R. Goose Nigel 2008 A county of small towns: the development of Hertfordshire's urban landscape to 1800 Hatfield, UK University of Hertfordshire Press 978-190531344-0154.40 167.26 Thompson Isobel Bryant Stewart 2005 Extensive Urban Surveys: Berkhamsted, Revision 2005 Historic Environment Unit, Hertfordshire County Council http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-436-1/dissemination/pdf/berkhamstead.pdf G2* 51.760268 -0.564611 title Category:13th-century architecture in the United Kingdom Category:Buildings and structures in Berkhamsted Category:Grade II* listed buildings in Hertfordshire Category:Shops in England Category:Timber framed buildings in Hertfordshire