Cae Howell

Shropshire C.C. Oswestry 5359

SJ 31 NW KINNERLEY C.P. -

11/1 Cae Howell -

• II

Farmhouse. Late C16, partly rebuilt in late C19 with later additions and alterations. Timber framed with rendered and painted brick infill partly replaced by C19 purple brick; slate roof with fishscale bands. Possibly originally cruciform in plan of central lobby-entry type but now having mid-C20 two-storey flat-roofed addition to rear. 2 storeys and gable-lit attic. Original framing survives to right gable end only: jettied to first floor and attic with moulded and chamfered bressumers supported on carved corner brackets with thin colonettes, attic bressumer with a variety of quatrefoil and other carved decoration. Ground floor has close-set vertical posts with middle rail; circular shapes intersecting with narrow rectangular panels to first floor except for space below window which has vertical posts and serpentine brace; concave lozenges to attic. Original triangular-chamfered wooden mullioned and transomed windows to ground floor and first floor, lower of 7 lights and upper of 5. Small Tudor-arched window to attic. Presence of carved brackets at 45° angle to left and right on ground floor and of another to rear (now internal) suggests that front and rear walls were also jettied. Lighter rectangular panelling survives to front wall on right but this is probably later than that to gable end. Front has C20 casements to either side of central 2-storey gabled porch (probably on site of earlier timber framed structure), that to right in position of infilled doorway. Porch has C20 casement to first floor and 4-panel door (top panels now glazed) under outer C20 gabled brick porch. Central brick ridge stack has 4 diagonally set shafts. Salop Fire Insurance Plate numbered 13161 to left of first-floor window to right gable end. Interior. Right ground-floor room has deep-chamfered cross and spine beams with dragon beam to rear right corner. Left ground-floor room has richly moulded cross-beam ceiling with run-out stops and moulded dragon beam to rear left corner. C18 wooden wall cupboard to rear right corner has pilastered round-headed arch with 'keystone'. Wide central stack with staircase behind in right room. Chamfered ceiling beams on first floor and timber frame said to partly survive beneath plaster board to original back wall. Double-purlin roof (visible in roof space) in 3 bays has king-struts (missing to left truss) and raking struts supporting principal rafters; short straight windbraces. Wide boarded floor boards to first floor and attic. Building foundations are said to have been discovered beneath lawn to front of house. C20 addition to rear is not of special architectural interest.

Listing NGR: SJ3486417387