Seechem Manor

Seechem Manor is a house dating from the late 15th century (dendrochronologically dated to 1474), extended and remodelled in the late 16th century (with the cross-wing dendrochronologically dated to 1595), and remodelled again in the early to mid 17th century, 18th century, and around 1840. It is constructed of timber-framing, partly stuccoed and partly rebuilt in brick, with clay plain tile roofs with gabled ends. The parlour wing features deep verges with ornate pierced bargeboards. Brick lateral and axial stacks have diagonally-set shafts.

The house has a T-shaped plan comprising a 2-bay open hall with a low end cross-wing that has been demolished. The solar cross-wing was replaced by a parlour cross-wing in the late 16th century, when a floor and stack were inserted into the open hall. The parlour cross-wing, originally of at least five bays (now reduced to four), was remodelled in the early to mid 17th century. Timber-framing was partly replaced in brick during the 18th century, and the parlour cross-wing was refashioned around 1840.

The exterior is two storeys with an attic. The north-east front has four framed bays with exposed timber-framing: close-studded on the ground floor, with square-framing above featuring tension-braces and a 5-light moulded mullion window under the eaves to the right. The ground floor window below and first floor window to the left are blocked, with a small 2-light casement to the ground floor on the left. To the left of centre stands a stuccoed projecting gabled bay with ornate openwork bargeboards, deeply chamfered window openings, a small single-light attic window, and a 4-light mullion-transom first floor window with hoodmould. Below this is a porch with gabled parapet, diagonal buttresses with set-offs, a chamfered pointed arch with hoodmould and lancets to the sides. The right-hand (north-west) gable end has similar bargeboards and close-studding in the gable, a 4-light mullion-transom first floor window with hoodmould, and a canted bay window on the first floor. The right-hand return features a large lateral brick stack with stone quoins, set-offs, and two diagonally-set shafts. The wing to the right (south-west), formerly the hall, is painted brick with brick dentil eaves, two 3-light casements with glazing bars in segmentally arched openings, and a central doorway with a 19th-century gabled canopy. The south-east elevation has two small single-light windows, a large 3-light window to the right, and two gabled dormers, all with small-paned casements. Doorways to the left and right have gabled canopies. A gabled cross-wing on the right has exposed truss and storey-posts at the corners.

The interior contains substantial remains of carpentry and joinery from all principal building phases. The kitchen and hall have an inserted floor in the former open hall, with chamfered axial ceiling beams featuring step stops in the kitchen and convex stops in the hall. A large axial stack between the two rooms has large back-to-back fireplaces with sandstone jambs and timber bressumers. The hall's fireplace has a moulded shelf and an inside later-inserted hood made from re-used panelling. Panelled doors open to the left and right, with another panelled door to the stairhall featuring a carved doorhead. Corner cupboards are present. The inserted stack in the hall has a curing chamber. A fine circa early 18th-century open-well staircase rises to the attic with turned balusters, a moulded handrail, and square newels with ball-finials. The great chamber over the parlour has a chamfered ceiling beam with straight-cut stops and a central boss, 17th-century panelling, evidence of an internal porch, and a fireplace with a fine overmantel featuring arched panels and Tuscan engaged colonnettes. The cross-wing attics have exposed queen-post roof structure with short straight wind-braces and staggered purlins. Medieval smoke-blackened roof structure is exposed in the hall chambers, with a 2-bay hall featuring a central open truss and a truss at the high end with an arch-braced cambered tie-beam, raking struts, and curved wind-braces. A queen-post truss is located at the low end of the hall.

Seechem Manor was formerly known as Rowney Green House. The identity of the builder of the medieval house is unknown, but it came into the possession of the Milward family in the late 16th century. It was probably Thomas Milward who remodelled and extended the house around 1595.