Tudor Tavern, Taunton

The Tudor Tavern, also known as "Ancient House" is located at 15 Fore Street, Taunton. It is a three-storey timbered house with a forward jutting first and second floor. The front is carved with the initials T.T. and I.T. and the year 1578. The high, steep roof is clad with red tiles, the upper part overhanging the 8-light oriel window on the second floor. The first floor has a nine-light oriel window with further lights on either side making 17 lights altogether. Each of these windows has leaded lights with transomes and mullions. The interior of the house has been largely restored but the medieval hall with its trussed roof and arched braces survives. It was Grade I listed in 1952. ==History==

The property is one of the few buildings of its era to survive in Taunton; research suggests the neighbouring buildings dated from the 16th or 17th century. It was originally used as a clothiers shop, and the owners expanded the property while in business. The clothiers, Thomas and Joan Trowbridge, have their initials (T.T. and I.T.) above the door. The building became a grocer during the 17th century, owned by Thomas Baker, whose daughters were known as the 'maids of Taunton' and were there to welcome Duke of Monmouth when they visited the Taunton. The building remained a grocer through the 19th century, owned by three generations of the Turle family. In the 1870s, the building became an antique dealership, Halliday & Sons. In 2003, it was leased by Caffè Nero and refurbished at a cost of £200,000, after being empty for years. ==See also==