Marvel'S Garden

PEBMARSH WATER LANE TL 83 SE (east side) 4/105 Marvel's Garden - II* House. Circa 1400, altered in late C16, extended in C19. Timber framed, plastered with exposed framing, roofed with handmade red clay tiles. 2-bay hall aligned NE-SW with late C16 axial stack in NE bay, integral storeyed service bay to NE, integral storeyed parlour/solar bay to SW. 2-bay extension to NW of parlour/solar bay, c.1560. Single-storey extension to NE of service bay, C19. Original building of one storey with attics, NW extension of 2 storeys. NW elevation, 3 C20 casements and window with C19 wooden slats on ground floor, 2 C20 casements on first floor, of which one is in a slated swept dormer. Boarded door with 2 glazed panes. On original building, widely-spaced studs with curved tension bracing trenched to the outside, and hipped gablets at both ends. On NW extension, close studding with curved braces trenched to the inside, and mortices for removed oriels. The interior has jowled posts, deep arched braces to the central tiebeam of the hall, crownpost roof with octagonal crownpost with moulded capital and base and 4-way bracing complete. Upper half of hall window present, blocked. Twin service doorways, doorway to stair and parlour doorway, all chamfered with straight heads. Ogee display bracing on service end of hall. All the original rafters of the hall except one are present, heavily smoke-blackened, with blackening extending to the gablets. Original lodged plain joists in service bay, C20 joists in parlour/ solar bay. Moulded beams in NW extension. This is an exceptionally complete and unchanged example of a typical Essex hall house, differing from the common pattern in having had straight doorheads at an early date. The NW extension also retains unusually complete and datable evidence of its original form. RCHM 15.

Listing NGR: TL8504232704