Hatch Farmhouse

Hatch Farmhouse

A house of mid-16th century, early 17th century, 18th century and 20th century date, formerly known as The Red House. The building is timber-framed with parts exposed, weatherboarded, rendered and brick, with a peg-tiled roof and L-shaped plan.

The west front is of 18th century red brick in Flemish bond with burnt headers, presenting a symmetrical three-window range with a central front door. All windows are 20th century copies of originals, sash windows with glazing bars in 3x4 panes, with plain reveals and voussoir heads; ground floor windows have segmental heads and first floor windows have flat heads. The door is 19th century, framed and panelled with six panes, and has a simple flat hood on console brackets. The hipped roof rises to a central early 17th century stack with ovolo and cavetto mouldings and three octagonal shafts to the west, which have been rebuilt but retain original moulded bases.

The south front is exactly the same style as the west front but with a five-window range and three dormer windows, each with hipped peg-tiled roofs and 20th century casement windows with glazing bars in 4x4 panes. There is a central 20th century glazed door with glazing bars in 3x5 panes. A 17th century stack is visible on the west front, and three stacks show on the south elevation; an 18th century stack is on the east end wall of the range with burnt headers. The north elevation has an L-shaped projection at the west end with exposed timber-framing of long vertical studs on the first floor and two early 17th century three-light ovolo-moulded windows. The hipped roof rises to an early 17th century stack showing irregular clustering, with the central octagonal shaft visible on the south front, elongating back to a single large rectangular shape, and a shaft at the east end of the cluster standing alone. The east end of the north elevation has a weatherboarded and rendered first floor with two 4x3 20th century casement windows. The ground floor is 20th century rendered brick with a peg-tiled lean-to roof, six casement windows with glazing bars and a glazed door in 3x5 panes.

Two timber-framed building phases survive internally. The first, running east to west and now comprising two bays but originally extending further west, dates to the mid-16th century. It features jowled storey posts and internal tension bracing. The ground floor ceiling has a binding joist with bar stopped chamfers and common joists with step-stopped ends. At the east end is a large fireplace with a timber lintel, rebuilt but possibly retaining an original core. A painted door of possible 17th century date survives, as does a blocked first-floor diamond-mullioned window. The second phase dates to the early 17th century. The west end of the earlier range was cut back, and a symmetrical timber-framed block was built across the west end facing west with a central chimney-stack. This phase is two storeys and attic with a double-jetted range projecting to the west. It contains north and south principal rooms facing front, a large transverse corridor, and a staircase well and landing at the back. The stair rises to the attic with a moulded handrail, flat shaped balusters and a newel post with moulded cappings. The walls of the stair well feature plaster panelling with rectangular centres and four L-shaped corner figures, and two plaster medallions, one of which has been restored and modified while the other remains indistinct. The stair well is lit by two mullioned windows with ovolo decoration on the first floor at the north-east angle. Both ground floor rooms to the west front have dragon beams to the west corners, principals with bar stopped chamfers, and common joists with step-stopped ends. The first floor rooms above are similar but lack decoration on the joists, perhaps originally panelled and ceiled. The north room has a three-light mullioned window with ovolo moulding. Fragments of floor joist support clamps survive as cornices throughout the house, as do carved boards probably from a frieze. The ground floor fireplaces of this phase are single in the south room and rebuilt; the first floor contains two back-to-back fireplaces. The north room fireplace has a four-centred arch in a rectangular frame, both frame and arch ovolo-moulded, with the arch moulding finishing in a cabochon and double run-out chamfer stops. The south room fireplace is rebuilt with a four-centred arch. The attic contains two back-to-back fireplaces (north and south) with rebuilt timber lintels, making five chimney shafts in total. There are three enriched doorways with elaborately moulded architraves featuring urn and trident moulding stops, located on the ground floor at the angle between the two phases (leading to the corridor), on the first floor leading to the north room of the front block, and on the first floor leading to the west bay of the first phase. A five-light ovolo-moulded window is inserted in the east bay of the first floor. The main entrance of this phase presumably stood on the site of the present south front door, leading directly to the corridor and stairs. The first floor contains one important chamber and one more private chamber. A rear entrance door to the corridor is on the ground floor at the back with another plain doorway above on the first floor landing, leading outside. A fireplace on the ground floor at the east end of the first phase block presumably served as a kitchen.

The third building phase dates to the 18th century. The double-jetted front was cut back and the west and south fronts were rebuilt in brick with sash windows. The attic roofs were rebuilt with dormer windows, now of butt-side purlin type but considerably rearranged, with fragments of early 17th century house framing reused. The east end kitchen stack was refaced using burnt headers.

The fourth phase, dating to the 20th century, involved refurbishment and the addition of rear out-shuts, with considerable accurate replacement of earlier woodwork.