Brewsters

Brewsters is a pair of houses dating back to the 16th century, originally built as a “Unit System” and later joined together. The buildings are timber-framed, with plaster infill and a roof of handmade red clay tiles. The larger house comprises a main range of three bays running north to south, and a two-bay crosswing at the south end, with an internal chimney stack at the junction and an external chimney stack at the north end. There are two rear wings, one with its own chimney stack, and a lean-to with a roof of red clay pantiles. A rear extension now connects the larger house to the smaller house, which is located immediately to the northwest and is arranged corner to corner, with two bays running east to west. The houses were built as separate dwellings to accommodate two households working the same land.

The crosswing of the larger house is two storeys high with an attic, while the remainder of the building is one storey high with attics. The east-facing elevation features a six-panel door within a pedimented doorcase dating from the early 19th century, a half-glazed door from the 19th century, two sash windows of 16 lights also from the early 19th century, one 20th-century casement window, and two 16th-century windows, each with a single hollow-moulded mullion and 20th-century glazing. The first floor has two similar sash windows and two 20th-century casement windows within gabled dormers. The attic has one 20th-century casement window. The north chimney stack has grouped diagonal shafts that have been rebuilt. The plaster on this elevation retains an old, rare “pricked” design.

Inside the larger house, there are chamfered beams and joists with run-out stops, twin square-headed doorways into the north (service) bay, one of which is now blocked, some oak panelling from around 1620 in the middle room, and 18th-century pine panelling in the crosswing. The upper floor features jowled posts, exposed studding with straight braces trenched to the inside, original floorboards, and one Tudor doorhead. The roof is of clasped purlin construction and includes some re-used smoke-blackened rafters. This house was built around 1570 and was originally two storeys high.

The smaller house is of medieval type, with an original lodged floor in the east bay and a 17th-century inserted floor in the west bay, which originally formed a single-bay hall.