Elmswell Old Hall

House. Built in 1634 for Henry Best, with a late 18th-century rebuilding of the left side of the front facade, later additions, and alterations including a 19th-century range to the front. The house is constructed of reddish-pink brick with a pantile roof. It is two storeys high, with four first-floor windows, the left side being recessed and to the right a single-storey, single-bay range. The off-centre entrance has a boarded door with an overlight featuring vertical glazing bars, above which is an ashlar female head. A further entrance is located to the right, also with a boarded door. To the left side are two 16-pane sashes under flat arches of rubbed brick. To the right is a five-light mullion window within a double-hollow-chamfered surround, with rubbed brick mullions, partially obscured by a later range. Remains of a rubbed brick band are visible on the right side. The first floor has three 16-pane sashes under flat arches of rubbed brick to the left side, and a casement window under a segmental arch to the right. Two eroded ashlar date plaques have been inserted into the front range. Stepped caves are located to the left. Brick copings are present to the gable ends. There are three rear stacks, that to the left featuring a rubbed brick cornice. The gable ends have a plinth. To the ground and first floors to the left, and to the first floor to the right, is a five-light mullion window, now blocked, with rubbed brick mullions in double-hollow-chamfered surrounds, partly obscured by cement. To the right, on the ground floor, is a tall three-light Yorkshire sash. The building features three-course first- and two-course second-floor bands. To the left is a casement window to the gable and to the right are remains of a pitching door. The interior retains 17th-century panelling in some rooms. Elmswell Old Hall holds outstanding historical significance due to its association with Henry Best, its builder; it is identifiable as the house in which he wrote his Farming and Memorandum Books documenting farming and social activities in the region. These books provide a nationally-important archive of information about post-medieval rural life, revealing the details of the farming estate of which the house formed the core.