Lower House Farmhouse

TL 64 SE STEEPLE BUMPSTEAD 2/72 Lower House Farmhouse 7/8/52 II

House, C15 and C16, altered in C19. Timber framed, plastered, roofed with handmade red clay tiles. 2-bay E crosswing of an earlier hall house, C15, jettied to S, C15, and 3-bay main range to W with long jetty to S, C16. Chimney stack in middle bay of main range against S wall, late C16, and external chimney stack at W end, C18/19. 2-bay extension to N of crosswing, and stair tower in NW angle, late C16/early C17. Single-storey extension to N of W bay of main range, C19, and another extension to W of it. Aspect S. 2 storeys. C19 half- glazed door, 2 tripartite double-hung windows of 4-12-4 lights, early C19, and one C20 casement window, on each floor. In E elevation, on ground floor one double-hung sash window of 16 lights, C18, and on first floor 2 C18 windows each of one wrought iron casement and one fixed light, and rectangular leading. On same elevation, complete set of original sprockets. Jowled posts and heavy studding throughout. The E crosswing has a plain-chamfered binding beam with plain stops, and joists of horizontal section jointed to it with unrefined soffit tenons. This wing originally had a crownpost roof, but was converted to clasped purlin form in the late C16. On the first floor, in the wall between it and the main range there is some original wattle and daub infill and an unglazed window blocked with wattle and daub when the C16 main range was added. There is a doorway with 4-centred doorhead on the first floor between the crosswing and its N extension. The main range has plain-chamfered axial beams, joists plastered to the soffits in the W bay, in the other bays joists of horizontal section plain-chamfered with step stops. The crown post roof is complete, plain crownposts with thin curved axial braces only. RCHM 24.

Listing NGR: TL6862141950