The Manor House

The Manor House in Lower Quinton is a timber-framed house with an ashlar plinth, partly roughcast, dating to the late 15th century with late 16th-century and circa 1830 extensions. The building underwent late 20th-century restoration. It has a tile roof with stone and brick stacks and is arranged in a T-plan, with the 15th-century wing set at right angles to the facade, a 16th-century wing to the right, and a 19th-century wing to the left.

The exterior presents two storeys with an attic in a six-window range. The entrance, positioned right of centre, features a heavy pegged frame with a later architrave to an early 18th-century six-panel door with diagonal rear planks, and a 19th-century open timber porch. The centre section displays exposed close-studded timber framing with herringbone framing to the gable head and a two-storey 19th-century canted bay window with a hipped roof and 1:2:1-light transomed and leaded casements.

The 16th-century wing has a single-storey canted bay window to the right of a narrow window with a transomed casement; a similar blocked window is visible internally above. Three windows with cross-casements and leaded glazing light this wing, together with two hipped dormers containing two-light small-paned casements.

The 19th-century wing features a lean-to projection to the ground floor with a 1:5:1-light transomed bay window, and the first floor contains two windows with cross-casements. The wing has brick end stacks and a cross-axial stack, originally a return lateral stack.

The right return is of dressed stone with the first floor plastered. Two rounded bread ovens sit under a tile roof with a small shuttered opening nearby. The rear elevation shows a projecting wing with close-studding and simpler framing to the gable, with two three-light wooden mullioned windows to the ground floor flanking a small 20th-century light that replaced a 19th-century window. A three-light mullioned window lights the first floor. The returns contain varied casements, including one small light to the right return, and an external ashlar stack to the left return.

The wing to the left features an outshut under a catslide roof and an entrance with a 17th or 18th-century four-panel door to the right of a 20th-century canted bay window and small light, plus a hipped dormer window. The wing to the right has an altered lean-to outshut with a glazed porch.

Internally, the 15th-century wing displays exposed close-studding and broadly chamfered beams. The front room contains a large ashlar fireplace with stop-chamfered jambs and a chamfered bressumer with mason's mitres. The rear room, possibly originally full-height, has a similar fireplace with internal benches and a heavy plank door with strap hinges to the left, likely original. A room to the left has a 19th-century marble fireplace.

The 16th-century wing retains exposed timber framing, with the rear of the 15th-century fireplace projecting from the original external framing bearing carpenter's marks. The room contains an ex-situ 19th-century fireplace and dado rail. The rear kitchen has two bread ovens, a copper and a low pastry oven. A stair with ovolo-moulded square newels, turned balusters and a moulded handrail connects the levels. The first floor front room has a plastered barrel ceiling and a fireplace similar to that below but with stop-chamfers at uneven levels. A partition wall displays a large plaster armorial bearing with crest and mantling, retaining some colour, together with panelling and two two-panel doors with HL-hinges. The rear room contains an exposed truss with a braced tie and collar with wind brace, and a partly exposed truss with raking strut. A room to the right retains floral wallpaper of possible age.

The attic contains plasterwork with two panels of raised lettering reading "WT 1616" and "CN 1828", a single three-plank door, and the exposed base to the original diagonal shafts to the cross-axial stack.

This is an interesting and well-preserved house where restoration work since 1972 has revealed important features.