Kentishes Farmhouse

House. Dating to the late 16th century, with alterations around 1600 and renovations and restoration in 1986. The house is timber framed and plastered, with a roof covered in handmade red plain tiles. It comprises a 4-bay crosswing facing northeast, built around 1580, originally with a long jetty as part of a former hall house. A 4-bay main range facing southeast stands on the site of the original hall house, featuring an internal stack in the left bay. A 17th-century stair tower is located to the rear of the left bay, with a 19th-century single-storey lean-to extension to the left of it. An external stack, dating from around 1600, is positioned to the right of the crosswing, and an 18th-century lean-to extension extends to the rear of the main range.

The house has two storeys, a cellar, and attics. On the ground floor, there are two late 18th/early 19th-century splayed bays, each with moulded mullions, saddle bars, and a single wrought iron casement. Flanking each of these bays is a window dating from around 1600, featuring two ovolo-moulded mullions, an ovolo-moulded surround, and three diamond saddle bars, with 20th-century rectangular leaded glazing. A rare late 16th-century studded door, constructed of eight moulded and rebated planks, is a prominent feature. The left stack has two late 16th-century octagonal shafts, while the right stack displays two moulded shafts in a Tudor style, restored in 1986. The rear elevation incorporates two first-floor windows, approximately dating from 1600, mirroring the design of those at the front with ovolo-moulded mullions. Jowled posts are present.

Inside the crosswing, a right wallplate features an edge-halved and bridled scarf; diamond mortises and a shutter groove are evidence of a former unglazed window in the left rear bay. A ground-floor hearth has been rebuilt, retaining its original mantel beam. The roof structure includes a clasped purlin roof with curved wind bracing. The attic has rebated oak floorboards. A late 16th-century door, comprised of six moulded and rebated planks, is found in the ground floor of the crosswing. The rear bays showcase exposed plain joists of a horizontal section. In the middle bays of the main range, there are moulded axial and transverse beams. Another ground-floor hearth has been rebuilt, preserving the original mantel beam. At the rear of the ground floor, two 12-panel oak doors, dating from around 1600, are present; one is inverted, and a dado of re-sited oak panelling is also visible. The late 17th-century stair has large turned newels (some damage on the landing), plain chamfered handrails, and turned oak balusters of two different designs secured with handmade nails. At the head of the stair are an early 18th-century two-panel door and an early 17th-century eight-panel door with cockshead hinges. The stair tower obstructs an original first-floor window. The roof is similar to the main structure. The house retains a remarkable number of early features in an unaltered condition and was accurately restored in 1986. There is some evidence of a former crosswing at the left end.