Soap House

Soap House

House, early 17th century with early 20th century alterations. Timber-framed, roughcast rendered with mock framing moulded in the rendering, peg-tiled roof. Rectangular plan with additions at the east end. Two storeys and attic.

The rear north side features a slight projecting cross-wing at the east end and a stair tower with an addition projecting behind the principal stack, which is positioned off-centre to the west. This stack is an early 20th century rebuild of four diagonally set conjoined shafts. A secondary early 20th century stack with twin diagonally set shafts stands on the east end wall of the main block. Behind this stack is a two-storey gabled extension to the east, lower than the principal block. In front of the stack is a simple lean-to with 18th or 19th century studding and brick infilling.

The south front elevation displays three conjoined gables in three bays, with the west gable projecting. Below each gable is a bay window on the ground and first floors. The middle bay has an early 20th century mid-height lean-to pentice roof, peg-tiled, carried on timber posts, with a ground-floor bay window beneath.

The windows of the front and many on the sides and rear date from an early 20th century refurbishment. Front windows are casements with large lower panes and upper glazing bars creating four minor panes. At ground-floor level, from west to east, there is a four-light bay window with single side lights, a moulded architrave doorway with a four-panel door (the upper two panels glazed with leaded lights of three by five panes each), and a four-light bay window with single side lights. A three-light window with exterior shutters completes the ground floor. The first floor contains, from west to east, a four-light bay window with single side lights, two three-light windows with exterior shutters, and between them a narrow fixed casement.

The north rear elevation has the principal block gable-roofed and partly weatherboarded with the stair tower rising to attic level in line with the stack. To the east is the large gable end of the cross-wing with a side out-shut towards the stair tower. A small rendered stack sits on the north side of the lean-to. A simple weatherboarded lean-to porch with a side entry door is also present. A second door to the addition at the east end is framed and boarded with upper glazing consisting of glazing bars in a two by three pane configuration. Windows are of early 20th century type, casements of irregular pattern. To the west of the stair tower at ground floor is a three-light window with shutters; above it is a two-light window with glazing bars creating two by two panes. The stair tower has two single casements, one on each floor, with the upper one having shutters. To the west side is a single casement of two panes and above it another single casement of one pane. The cross-wing gable and side out-shut contains ground-floor casements: one two-light with shutters, one three-light in a porch, and one two-light. The addition to the east has a two-light casement with shutters on the first floor.

The west gable elevation has at ground floor a lean-to porch with early 20th century French doors of three panes per leaf and half-depth side lights all combined under an arched head. The first floor has two twin 20th century fixed lights with shutters. An attic window of two lights with casement, shutters, and glazing bars creating two minor upper panes is also present.

The east end elevation displays at ground floor a two-light casement in an out-shut, and in the attic gable two two-light casements with glazing bars creating two by two panes and moulded architraves.

Interior construction is considerably concealed by early 20th century refurbishment and the west projecting gable of that period. The cross-wing at the east end and the stair tower appear original, though the stair tower now contains an early 20th century stair and has been built out and deepened to the north to provide small rooms. Principal joists are revealed in each of the original three bays, all having lamb's tongue chamfer stops. At the rear of the centre bay within the out-shut, two original window openings survive; the upper one on the first floor has ovolo-moulded mullions with internal hollow chamfer moulding. The roof of the main range is of butt side purlin and rafter type. The east cross-wing roof is much rebuilt with some butt side-purlin construction; also reused are sooted rafters with skewed collar trenches, possibly from an earlier open hall house on the site.

The main range and cross-wing appear to be of one build, circa 1600, and the house is of the lobby entrance type with the cross-wing at the low end. The other elements—the rebuilt diagonally set chimney shafts and the two-storey and attic stair tower—are in keeping in style and date. A photograph published in 1906 shows the house without the west projecting gable at the high end and other enrichment of the south front; the original principal stack then existed in the same form as the present one. The house underwent very thorough refacing after 1906. Soap is known to have been manufactured here between 1790 and 1820, or possibly just before this period.