Porch House

The Porch House is a house dating to 1657. It is constructed of red brick in English bond, set upon a plinth with bull nose header brick to the upper edge. The roof is tiled, featuring a saw tooth eaves cornice and a parapet on kneelers to the west gable. A ridge stack has a square base and four diagonally set grouped shafts; the original stack at the east end has been rebuilt, retaining a dentil corbel table. The house follows a lobby entry plan, with a contemporary porch to the front and an outshut at the rear.

The two-storey house has two brick plat bands separating the floors. The porch is also two storeys high, with a hipped tiled roof, a similar eaves cornice, and plat band brickwork that extends around the front of the house. The front wall band is of moulded brickwork. The porch has modern leaded light casements to each side of the first floor. The original doorway is within a round headed arch, topped by a pedimented doorcase of moulded brick, with pilasters featuring moulded capitals and bases. A dated, chamfered stone panel is set within the tympanum, and a corbel supports the lower edge of the pediment. The house itself has three modern leaded light casements to each floor. Gable ends feature original window openings with elliptical header brick arches. The outshut has been partly rebuilt, but the original east end wall remains, retaining the original doorway to what was likely a dairy or scullery.

Inside, abutting hearths are visible, including an inglenook to the hall with salt and spice ledges. A parlour on the west side has a smaller hearth, now with a modern surround. Exposed ceiling framing exists, with a main beam exhibiting ovolo moulding and ogee stop chamfered details. The joists are unmoulded. Similar moulding is found on the main beam in the hall. The kitchen, at the east end, features an inglenook and a plain stop chamfered main beam, along with a bread oven, possibly added later, at the rear of the inglenook. On the first floor, a chamber contains an original fireplace with an arched head and moulding; a fragment of a marble frieze is situated above. The house is believed to have been built in the 1650s to accommodate an engineer involved in an Act of Parliament promoting drainage works within Haddenham Parish.