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Picture source: Hania Franek

The Bull was situated on Church Street. This grade-II listed pub closed in 2010 and was given community asset status in 2015 but this has since expired without anyone coming forward to buy & reopen it. Pubmaster, the owners, want to turn it into private residences; Brentwood Council (who issued the CAS) keep turning down their planning applications. Stalemate.

Source: Simon Mills

Listed building details:

2 houses, now combined to form public house. C15 and early C16, extended in C20. Timber-framed, plastered with much exposed framing, roofed with handmade and machine-made red clay tiles. The N house comprises a long-jetty main range of 2 bays, c1500, and a jettied cross-wing of 2 bays to right, C15, extended to the rear by one bay in the C17, with an internal stack in the rear bay. A short gabled wing has been added to rear of the main range, with a C19 external stack at the end and a single-storey lean-to extension added to rear of both parts. C20 single-storey extensions to left and rear. The S house, abutting on the first, comprises an early C16 long-jetty range of 3 bays with a stack in the middle bay, with C20 single-storey extensions to rear right, along Bull Alley. EXTERIOR: both houses are of 2 storeys, but the roof of the S house stands higher than that of the first because it is of wider span. The N house has on the ground floor 2 splayed bays of sashes of early C19 origin, altered in C20; the left bay is of 8:24:8 lights, the right of 4:20:4 lights. First floor, two C20 metal casements. The ground floor is plastered, both parts of the house having jetties with exposed joists of framing, with 2 curved tension braces each, trenched outside heavy studding. The cross-wing has a moulded tie-beam and some renewed studding. The left gable end has exposed studding with the high collar of a crownpost roof. 2 metal vents on ridge. The S house has on the ground floor one similar bay of 8:24:8 lights and one C20 metal casement; first floor, two C20 metal casements. The ground floor is plastered, with a continuous jetty with exposed joists of square section and three C20 brackets; on the first floor the framing is exposed, with close-spaced heavy studs and 2 'Suffolk' braces, one of which is renewed. Gablet hip at right end of roof. The right elevation (Bull Alley) has exposed framing at both storeys, with close studding, one curved tension brace trenched to the outside on the first floor, and 2 'Suffolk' braces, one of which is renewed; two C20 casements. Some of the studding has been renewed. INTERIOR: the long-jetty range at the left has plain joists of horizontal section across the whole span, and a blocked stair-trap in the rear right corner (in front of the present bar), with original rebated floorboards of hardwood. It was built without studding at the right end against the earlier cross-wing. Jowled posts, chamfered square crownpost with straight braces to the internal tie-beam, collar-purlin with 4 slightly curved axial braces. The cross-wing has unjowled posts and curved braces trenched outside heavy studding. The ground-floor studding and braces to left and right has been removed. In the left wall there are diamond mortices for an unglazed window with one mullion on each floor, indicating that in the C15 the site to the left was still undeveloped. Plain joists of horizontal section. Roof inaccessible. The 3-bay range to the right has transverse and axial beams moulded to a deep hollow chamfer with stops of unusual design, and similarly moulded joists of horizontal section in the left and middle bays, plain in the right bay. On the first floor is a blocked original hearth facing to left with an elaborately moulded mantel beam. Close studding, chamfered tie-beams with step stops, roof inaccessible. On the first floor is an C18/early C19 screen of 12 borrowed lights with much handmade glass, and a horizontal sash of 6+6 lights.

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