Allways

Allways is a house that was formerly divided into cottages, dating from the late 15th century or early 16th century, with 17th century additions and later alterations. The building is timber-framed with exposed timber and plastered panels, and it has a plastered plinth. It features thatched roofs, half hipped at the cross wing, with a ridge stack made of local red brick on the left side and a square planned stack on the cross wing. The house has one storey plus an attic. The main range originally included an open hall to the east, which now has a demolished service bay. The two-storey cross wing, from the mid-17th century, incorporates some earlier timbers and has a two-unit plan with a central chimney stack.

On the front elevation, there is a boarded door to the left, a horizontal sliding sash window, one six-panelled window, and two three-light casement windows. The roof has two eyebrow casement dormers and one three-light casement window on the first floor. Inside, there is a 17th century inserted floor in the open hall, and a chimney stack built against the former closed truss, with the original floor from the late 15th or early 16th century to the east. The interior features three open hearths, including a baking oven in the kitchen hearth, and 18th century floor tiles.

Allways was the home of writer Beverley Nichols from 1928 to 1937, and autographs of his visitors, including Winston Churchill, can be found on the east wall of the north room in the cross wing. There are also historical estate maps related to the Manor of Glatton from 1613 and 1770.