Halsham House

Halsham House

School and school house, now house. Built 1579–84 for the Constable Estate. The building underwent alterations in 1884 (probably including partial rebuilding of the porch) and further alterations and renovations around 1971, which included refenestration of the east front, removal of an external stack, and rebuilding of the wall to the north east.

The house is constructed of red brick in English bond with timber-framed internal walls with brick infilling. The roof is covered with concrete tiles. The plan is L-shaped, comprising a main range of 6 internal bays with an east gable end facing the street and a south-east porch containing the main entrance and staircase to the first-floor schoolroom. The building is 2 storeys with an attic.

The east front presents 2 bays with tripartite ground-floor windows of 3 narrow square-headed lights with 20th-century glazing, partly blocked at the top, beneath brick hoodmoulds. Similar but shorter first-floor windows are present, with a blocked 3-light attic window featuring a brick sill and mullions, and a similar blocked 2-light window above with a plain brick hoodmould. Crow-stepped gables with saddle-back coping and moulded kneelers crown this elevation.

The south front features the main range with 5 first-floor windows and a full-height gabled porch to the right. The porch contains a 5-panel door to the left of centre, a 12-pane first-floor sash beneath a segmental arch, and a crenellated stepped gable with a brick band below the central section with a blind oculus. An axial stack rises to the rear. The left and right returns of the porch have single blind segmental-headed panels to the first floor. To the left of the porch, the main range displays a 5-panel door in a reveal, flanked to the left by a 12-pane sash beneath a segmental arch and to the right by 3 single-light windows beneath hoodmoulds and a 2-light sliding sash with glazing bars. The first floor has a large 3-light half-dormer window flanked by three 12-pane sashes to the left and a single similar sash to the right. A projecting end stack and brick-coped gable appear to the left, while a later corbelled truncated stack rises to the right in the angle of the porch. All windows are 20th-century replacements.

The north side features a rebuilt section with a 20th-century door and casements to the ground floor on the left, and four 12-pane sashes and two 9-pane casements to the first floor beneath segmental and basket arches.

Internally, the porch contains a 4-centred arch at ground-floor level beneath a 19th-century restored staircase leading to the first-floor entrance, which is framed by a brick 4-centred arch. The staircase door is a heavy oak door with a small central hatch and a pair of wrought-iron strap hinges, inscribed with graffiti, mostly from the 18th century. The main range has pointed and 4-centred-arch window reveals and a basket-arched inglenook fireplace in the north-east room. Close-studded timber-framed partitions on the ground and first floors contain some original brick-on-edge infill. The ground floor is fitted with heavy square oak ceiling beams and exposed joists. The roof comprises 7 bays with oak principal rafters and 2 tiers of through-purlins.

The school was established by the will of Sir John Constable (died 1579) and was incorporated in 1584. It was designed to accommodate 8 boys. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the schoolroom occupied the upper floor while remaining rooms housed the schoolmaster. From 1871 the building was wholly given over to school use until its closure around 1960.