This programme of Level II historic building recording has demonstrated that White House, Bushy Common, Gressenhall has a developmental history which has seen the property grow from a single dwelling, to a terrace of three cottages and, eventually, back to a single dwelling. The property has clearly suffered the effects of damp and decay during the last half century, and many original features and fittings have been stripped out of the buildings during the course of its use. Historical, cartographic and architectural evidence reveals that the plot was originally occupied by a single dwelling, likely to have been constructed in the late 18th century. This was timber-framed, with wattle-and-daub infill, a steeply-pitched thatched roof, and a fireplace and chimney at its northern end. In the second half of the 19th century, a pair of clay-lump, two-storey cottages under a single, tiled roof were built abutting the northern face of the existing building. The three bays of the new building were divided so that the southern bay formed a cottage in its own right, while the central and northern bays formed a second property. This arrangement of three conjoined dwellings continued into the early 20th century, when the southern building and the southernmost bay of the northern building were merged. In the mid-20th century, the two houses were amalgamated into a single property. This resulted in the reconfiguration of the interior openings and external doors. The northern gable of the property collapsed at about this time and was rebuilt in brick.
R. Hoggett (Tue,) studied this question.