TQ 52 37 SPELDHURST THE WALKS, OLD GROOMBRIDGE 16/597 Nos 1 and 2 (formerly listed as 20.10.54 No 1 The Walks Cottage) GV II* Former house, now divided into 2 cottages. Probably early C18 with some C19 modernisation associated with the subdivision of the original house. Timber- framed on coursed sandstone footings. Ground floor level is weatherboarded, the rest is tile hung. Brick stack and chimneyshaft. Peg-tile roof. Plan: House was probably built as a 3-room lobby entrance plan house facing west onto Bird-in-Hand Street. Axial stack between the centre and right (south) end room serves back-to-back fireplaces. The right room was probably a parlour, the centre one a hall/kitchen and smaller unheated service end at the left (north) end. Doorway to No 1 could be the original lobby entrance and it occupies the service room and most (at least at ground floor level) of the central hall/kitchen. No 2 has its doorway in the south end onto The Walks. It occupies the former parlour and some of the hall/kitchen. 2 storeys with attics in the roofspace and cellar under the south end. Lean- to outshot to rear (east side) has end corner stack. Exterior: The west front has a 2-window front all serving No 1 and front doorway right of centre. South front (No 2) has a symmetrical 2-window front and central front doorway. All are old casements containing rectangular (ground floor) and diamond (first floor) panes of leaded glass. Both doorways contain plain panelled doors under shallow timber hoods with moulded edges. Main roof is half-hipped to left and hipped to right (south) where there is a hip-roofed dormer window. The north end includes a larder window; unglazed but covered by a timber trellis. Interior: Only No 2 was available for inspection at the time of this survey. The ground floor fireplace is brick with a chamfered oak lintel. The room on each floor has plain axial-joists. The roof of tie-beam trusses, A-frames with staggered butt purlins. It seems that this house was built after adjoing Nos 3-6 The Walks (q.v.). Nos 1 and 2 The Walks is one of the exceptional group of C17 and early C18 buildings that make up Old Groombridge. Listing NGR: TQ5299237724