Booden Farmhouse

Farmhouse. Dating from the 17th century, it was remodelled and extended around the late 18th or early 19th century. The farmhouse is timber-framed and encased in red brick, with modillion eaves and a plain tile roof with gabled ends. Brick gable-end and axial stacks are present. The house has an L-shaped plan, consisting of a main, two-story range and a rear (west) wing, with later additions including a 19th-century infill to the north-west and north end. Evidence of the original 17th-century house remains: timber framing is visible on the west wall of the main range externally and internally where this range abuts the rear wing. The north end stack and the axial stack between the main range and wing are also original 17th-century brickwork. Many original roof timbers remain in the main range, although the timbers to the north end may have been re-used. The central truss is pegged and has queen posts and wattle and daub infill, with one level of roughly-chamfered purlins. Interior features from the 17th century include, in the south part of the main range, ground and first-floor rooms with deeply chamfered beams with pyramidal stops; the upper room also has chamfered rafters. There are remains of a large fireplace, now blocked, at the north end of this range. Around the late 18th century, the rear wing received a two-story porch with double French doors and a fanlight; arched recesses painted to resemble sash windows were added on either side. Much of the joinery dates from 1780 to 1820, including six-fielded-panel exterior and interior doors, 10/10 sash windows with panelled shutters, and fluted architraves to doors and windows. There are arches with panelled shutters to the French doors on the ground floor of the rear wing and to a window recess on the first floor. The dogleg staircase features stick balusters. A simple Georgian chimneypiece remains on the ground floor of this wing, along with other cast-iron chimneypieces. The house occupies a medieval moated site.