Fortrey Hall

Fortrey Hall is a farmhouse built in the late 17th century, with alterations and additions made in the 19th century. It features a timber frame with plastering and plain tile roofs. The building has a red brick chimney stack on the right side, while the left-hand and ridge stacks have been rebuilt. There are 19th-century brick repairs and replacement foundations.

The structure is two stories high with an attic and originally follows a three-unit plan, including a single-storey gable-end kitchen range to the northeast. A stair turret at the rear was reduced in height during the 19th century when a lean-to was added to the northwest. The ground floor has four casement windows and two 19th-century doors that are approached by steps, while the first floor features four casement windows.

Inside, the hall has stop-chamfered ceiling beams and a resited late 17th-century bolection-moulded chimney piece. The kitchen includes a cooking hearth with a mantel beam and a baking oven. The first-floor rooms have 19th-century partitions and pine panelling, along with a 19th-century staircase.

Fortrey Hall was constructed by Samuel Fortrey, who died in 1719, and is thought to be an addition to an earlier building erected by his father during the draining of the Bedford levels. A plaque in Mepal Parish Church commemorates him, noting that he was the third son of Samuel Fortrey, who built a substantial home in Byal Fen that was later enlarged by his son. Samuel Fortrey was also noted for his service as a page of honour to Mary of Modena and as Groom of the Bedchamber to King James. He died on 18 August 1719.