Congreve House

Congreve House

A brick-clad house with a 17th-century timber frame to its front range and later additions. The building is T-shaped in plan, formed of two rectangular ranges.

The house is constructed of brick walls with a clay tile roof. Modern uPVC windows and doors have been installed. The structure comprises pitched roofs over two stories with cellar and attic floors. The front range has walls laid in Flemish bond to its front elevation, while the sides use a bond of three stretchers to one header. Three chimney stacks are present: one centrally placed across the ridge of the front range roof, another centrally across the rear range ridge, and a third to the side.

Window and door openings are detailed with shallow segmental brick arches of one course of rowlock facing bricks or two alternating courses of double rowlock and soldier facing bricks. Other openings are inserted directly into the brickwork or topped with flat lintels. Three roof lights are set into the west slope of the rear range's roof. A horizontal stringcourse of slightly projecting bricks runs around all elevations of both ranges above the ground floor windows. A matching moulding appears at roof-slope eaves level across the east and west front gables and the rear north gable, with the eaves within the gables decorated with two courses of projecting bricks.

The south elevation presents a symmetrical front with a central porch under a pitched roof at ground floor level, flanked by two windows on each floor above. The east gable end features three openings aligned with the gable apex: a single French door to the ground floor and windows to the first and attic floors. The rear range has scattered openings, with two southern openings arranged vertically to light the main staircase. A small lean-to porch covers the central doorway to the hall. A single-storey storage building has been inserted south of this porch against the north end of the front range, projecting slightly eastward. The mid-20th century north end of the east elevation extends under a short catslide roof from the rear range line. The west elevation of the front range largely mirrors the east, with a later extension dating between 1846 and 1881 beyond it. North of this extension lies the old end of the north range, with a mid-20th century extension to the north.

The original entrance was through the south porch, which provided access via a small lobby to reception rooms either side of the fireplace: the dining room to the east and living room to the west. The doorway from porch to dining room was sealed in the 20th century. The living room contains a wide inglenook fireplace with a timber bressummer on its east side and features chamfered joists and beams with stops to the joists. Exposed timber framing is visible in its north wall. The dining room retains original floorboards (some replaced) and has a single chamfered beam in the ceiling, showing box timber framing with a diagonal brace to the east wall. Its fireplace has been reduced to a smaller opening than that in the living room and is topped with a modern timber lintel.

The present main entrance is beneath the small porch at the centre of the north range's east elevation, opening into a hallway with the main staircase to the left and rear chimney to the right. The rear chimney contains a bread oven in its south side. Chamfered joists run north to south in the hallway ceiling. The rear staircase, constructed from reclaimed material, is located in the north-eastern corner of the kitchen and rises to the attic floor in straight flights and winders.

The main stairs date to the 17th century and are of closed string construction with turned balusters, simply moulded handrails and square newel posts. Many stair treads are replacements. The stairs rise to the attic floor in dog legs with half landings, with no balustrade to the first straight flight from the ground floor. The first-floor rooms of the front range have chamfered ceiling timbers with stopped joists and box timber framing to the walls.

The second or attic floor retains some original floorboards. Two bedrooms in the front range are accessed up two steps from the landing at the top of the main stair. Both front rooms have exposed roof timbers, with purlins visible running the length of the range and into its north end wall.

The cellar is accessed through a lean-to projection in the angle between the two ranges on the east side of the house. This space has painted brick walls and a quarry tile floor, with stairs leading down from the west side to a cellar space below showing the floor joists of the front range above.