Becknor Manor

Becknor Manor is a house dating back to circa 1575, with alterations in the mid-18th century and mid-19th century, and a late 20th-century restoration. It is constructed of timber framing with painted brick and rendered infill, set on sandstone and brick plinths, and features plain tiled roofs. The house has a hall and cross-wing plan; the hall, originally aligned east/west and comprising two framed bays with a through-passage and open hearth, was rebuilt in brick in the mid-18th century and includes a large external chimney on the north elevation. The solar and service wings, also of two framed bays, are accompanied by an outshut to the west side of the solar wing, which has been partly rebuilt in the late 20th century. The solar wing has a prominent external sandstone chimney with rebuilt star-shaped stacks. The service wing has a 19th-century external chimney on its south side elevation. The house is two storeys high with an attic, and features a dentilled eaves cornice to the hall.

The service wing framing is characterised by three rows of panels from sill to wall-plate, with short straight upper corner braces, collar and tie-beam trusses with struts, and a V-strut in the apex. The solar wing has a jettied first floor at the north gable end, with a probable matching design on the south gable end. It features two rows of panels above and below the jetty, short straight braces across upper corners, a collar and tie-beam truss and three struts beneath the collar, and a V-strut in the apex.

The north front elevation shows three three-light casements on the first floor of the hall, and a 19th-century gabled balustered timber-framed porch with a moulded finial to the right. The porch incorporates a doorcase with panelled pilasters, panelled reveals, and a 20th-century door with a transom light. The service wing gable end has two ground-floor two-light casements with plank weatherboards, alongside an attic light. The solar gable end has a long 20th-century three-light wood-mullioned window with a central transom on the ground floor, and a first floor three-light wood-mullioned window.

Inside, the hall has stop-chamfered longitudinal beams, and flanking the 20th-century fireplace are two pointed-arched cupboards with moulded architraves, keyblocks, and panelled doors. The solar exhibits a cross-beamed ceiling to each bay, retaining its painted decoration.

A 19th-century coach house and stable wing adjoins the solar, and a 19th-century tank room, boiler room and kennels are adjacent to the service wing. The house is situated on a moated site and was once part of the Bearcroft Estate, possibly serving as the Dower House.