Greete Court

Greete Court is a farmhouse of 16th and 18th-century date, constructed with timber frame and brick infill, and brick, beneath a plain-tile roof. The building comprises three bays with a cross-gabled central bay, an 18th-century extension bay to the south, and a single-storey service wing to the east. Two large projecting brick stacks rise from the east side, the south stack with 3 spurred shafts and the north with 6, both with later linking capping.

The exterior is two storeys with attic and cellar. The north gable displays square framing three panels high per storey with a tension brace at ground level. A jettied straight tie beam on brackets, much restored, sits at the gable head with raking struts above and below the collar. The gable is interrupted by a 19th-century casement at ground level and 20th-century casements at first and attic floors. A single-storey extension to the left features brick segmental-arched openings, with a lean-to entrance extension attached.

On the west return side, to the left is square framing at first-floor level with a small straight brace. The ground floor was underbuilt in the 18th century. The central advanced gable contains a jettied gable-truss with a chamfered cambered tie beam and raking struts above and below the collar with vertical struts framing an 18th-century timber mullion window. This gable was underbuilt in the 20th century with brick. To the right is an 18th-century brick wing on a rubble plinth with brick storey bands and 19th and 20th-century casements set in brick segmental-arched openings, accompanied by a plain doorcase with top-light.

The south gable end is 18th-century brick with an attic storey band and brick-coped gables. 20th-century casements occupy altered brick segmental-arched openings, with an attic casement being a 19th-century two-light casement with top-lights.

The east side is largely occupied by the large brick stack and by a stair tower outshut, partly underbuilt with 18th and 19th-century brick. It retains jowled corner posts with some square framing and an east truss of cambered tie beam, interrupted principals, vertical struts and rail. At the centre is square framing and a framed jettied gable-truss with a chamfered tie beam on brackets and wall plate, swept raking struts, vertical struts and collar. This gable is covered at lower levels by the projecting service wing and partly by the large brick stack. To the right is square framing to ground level with a small straight brace at the wall-plate.

Internally, the framed bays have double bridging beams on all floors, chamfered with ogee chamfer stops. The ground floor retains a 17th-century moulded plaster cornice. The first-floor north bay has a chamfered door opening; the central bay features a hinged floorboard opening to a priest hole adjacent to the brick stack, and an arched mantelbeam with chamfered soffit. The roof structure comprises a double trenched-purlin roof with a single tenoned-purlin central linking bay and single trenched-purlin roofs to the east and west gables. Two internal trusses have a high collar with twin posts interrupting the tie beam. The south truss, now internal, matches the north gable-end truss but retains wattle and daub panels. A possible second priest hole exists next to the chimney. The stair turret contains an oak newel winder staircase.

The cellar has a lateral square-framed partition with stave and daub infill. A large fireplace with a long large chamfered mantelbeam with run-out stops is present. Vestiges of ashlar in the cellar walls and a recessed stone arch indicate earlier building on the site.