Lea Head Manor

SJ 74 SE MAER C.P. ASTON LANE

(off north-east side) 5/90 Lea Head Manor (formerly listed as 2/12/52 Lea Head)

II*

House. Late C17, date B carved over door, later additions 16 W S 71 and alterations,mostly of 1920's Timber framed with plastered brick infill on chamfered dressed sandstone plinth, plain tiled roof with decorated bargeboards and finials. Originally roughly 'L'-shaped with a range at right angles to rear on left; C20 additions also behind to right. 2 storeys and attic; cellars. Framing: close-studding with cross rails to each floor, continuous jetty to front, supported on carved brackets, carried around left-hand gable end (the right-hand one is now brick clad but was also formerly jettied); short tension end braces. 4-window front; slightly bowed leaded casements supported on carved brackets, probably mainly original but much repaired, allof 4 lights except the outer ones on ground floor which have 5; 3 gabled dormers in roof slope also with 4-light leaded casements, carved corner brackets, scroll-decorated bargeboards and pointed finials; massive sandstone stack with moulded capping and 4 round shafts to left of central doorway, now with C20 iron-studded door. Short range at right angles to rear on left also with 2 storeys and attic; rectangular panels, 4 from cill to wall plate, long straight tension braces; decorated bargeboard and pointed finial, C20 leaded casements; the C20 extensions to right are also timber framed with painted brick infill in imitation of the earlier work. Interior: contains many features of interest; late C17 staircase in short range to rear has 4 flights to attic, pierced carved splat balusters, ball-shaped finials and a dog gate; oak panelling in left- hand ground floor room with cupboards inset into the wall, flanking the chamfered stone fireplace with its richly carved wooden overmantel; C17 stained glass roundels in front window; the fireplace in the main (central) ground floor room also has a massive lintel and there is exposed square panelling in the right-hand end wall of this room; moulded and bevelled cross beams throughout ground floor with bar stops; further exposed framing and chamfered beams to first floor, several C17 doors. Double-purlin roof in 4 bays with upper and lower collars and V-struts from the upper collar (visible internally in the right-hand gable end). The house is said to have been built by William and Sarah Bucknell following the destruction of the medieval house, which probably lay on the moated site (a Scheduled Ancient Monument) approximately 150m to the north-west, during the Civil War. A series of C17 household inventories survive, which are now in the County Record Office.

Listing NGR: SJ7506442023