Dating from the 16th century. It has been categorized as a Grade II listed building by Historic England.
House, now public house. Mid-C16, altered in C18. Timber framed, plastered, roofed with handmade red plain tiles. Single range facing SE comprising one long bay, and one short bay at each end. C19 internal stack against front wall of long bay. C17/18 one-bay extension to left, with external stack at end. One storey with attics. Single-storey lean-to extension with slate roof at rear, and C20 flat-roofed single-storey extension beyond. 3 C20 and 2 C19 sashes, and 4 C20 sashes in slate-roofed lean-to dormers. C20 door. Gambrel roof, half-hipped at right end. Chamfered axial beam with step stops in each bay; plain joists of horizontal section jointed to it with soffit tenons with diminished haunches. Trimmed stair trap, blocked, in rear of right bay. The former partition between this bay and the long bay has been removed, and the rear half of the beam. Most of the studding of the rear wall has been removed for the bar and for modern apertures. The left extension has plain joists arranged longitudinally, supported on a pegged clamp, and some modern joists. The frame is illustrated in C.A. Hewett, The Development of Carpentry, 1200-1700, an Essex Study, 1969, 150 (wrongly attributed to the parish of Bradwell-juxta-Coggeshall). Hewett dated it c.1565, but the step stops indicate that this is the latest possible date. RCHM 14.
Dolphin in Stisted - 1968
Kindly donated by Colleen
Dolphin, Stisted - 6th November 1999
Residents at this address
1929/Walter Henry Donce/Beer Retailer/../../Kellys
1933/Thomas Fidgett/Beer Retailer/../../Kellys
1937/William Theobald/../../../Kellys
1939/George Whybrow/Landlord/../../Petty Sessions*
In 1939 at the Dolphin Public House are
Hetty H Whybrow, later Reekie, Licensee, Widow, born 20 Sep 1883
Daisy M Brooks, later Thorogood, Press Hand Metal Window Fitter, born 14 Aug 1906
Ernest F Brooks, Incapacitated, born 21 Aug 1902
Arthur Smith, Boot Repairer, born 10 Aug 1914
I was born in 1943 at Sandy Hill which is just down the hill from The Dolphin, in Sisted. **
Around 1948-52 my Mother used to leave me at The Dolphin in the care of the Landlady whilst she went shopping in Braintree. I believe the Landlady was Mrs Daisy Brookes:
We were not allowed near her husband who was dying of TB and housed in a wooden garden building. (I report this with doubtful certainty of a 10 year old!)
The main bar was set up as a Tap Room with barrels set up on standards against the back wall. I recall Mrs Brookes (if that was her name) as being very friendly: I think she was still there many years later as we would stop by on occasion though we had moved away by 1954.
* Provided by Jill & Brian Fleming
** Provided by John Rowley