AMID THE MEDIEVAL STREETS
There is much to be explored in Clare. Maltings Lane heads up away from the country park and towards the centre of town, a rough wall of red brick and flint on the right. At the top of the lane, two buildings face one another, both fine examples of wealthy houses. The house to the left is of earlier origin, perhaps 15th century. Its foundations are red brick and its walls display ornate pargeting, the decorative plaster work applied to a number of Suffolk houses. The plaster is a blush pink, faded pale by bright sunshine. Opposite stands a 16th century timber-framed and plastered building that was once the Boar and Griffon Inn. Hundreds of beams have been used in its construction, and lanterns glow on the exterior wall above overflowing hanging baskets. It is one of the largest and grandest timber-framed buildings in the town. A right turn leads towards the town centre, past houses with roughcast plasterwork painted in tones of pink, white and cream. The next available left turn heads up the High Street, past cafés, locally owned shops and Grade II* listed The Swan Inn. This timber-framed building dates to the early 17th century, but a building called Le Swan is recorded in Clare almost 200 years earlier. A fine oak carving hangs below its sign of a swan with wings held open, a coronet collar linking it to a tree by a golden chain.
Ornate carvings
Independently-owned small shops line Clare High Street, and the Grade I listed, medieval church can be seen a short distance along. Just in front of it is a strikingly beautiful house. Its cream plastered walls are ornately pargeted, the west gable showing the de Clare coat of arms and the year 1473 carved in relief, surrounded by foliage. The window frames are of old, but still sturdy, cracked black wood and the roof red-tiled with a red-brick chimney. This is the 15th century Ancient House. It was gifted to the town of Clare in 1938, and in 1979, a museum was established within, recording the history of the town. The front of the house looks directly onto the church of St Peter and St Paul, where arched, stained glass windows on the nave and chancel reach almost to the roof, and its flint-speckled walls gleam in the sunlight. Above the south-facing entrance is a sundial dated to 1790, bearing the slogan ‘Go about your Business’. Worth searching out are the 20 carved heads of 15th century nobility, 10 on each side of the church. Inside is a polished brass lectern in the shape of an eagle. It is an early 16th century original version of a popular style and once used for collections. Coins slipped into the beak jangle through the inside to shoot out of the tail. The oldest sections of this Grade I listed building date back to the 13th century. There are four other Grade I listed buildings in the town. Two, the priory and its chapel, are met on the walk. Two houses, Cliftons and Nethergate Hotel, can be found near the start of Nethergate Street.