Little Jericho

Little Jericho is a house dating back to approximately 1600, with extensions added in the early 17th century, the early 19th century, and the 20th century. It is constructed of timber framing, now plastered, with a roof of handmade red clay tiles. The house originally comprised three bays facing west, with a central stack forming a lobby-entrance plan and a stair tower to the rear of the middle bay. It originally had two storeys and attics. 18th-century outshuts have been added to each side, forming catslides that follow the main roofline, and an 18th-century external stack is located on the right side. A 20th-century single-storey extension with a hipped roof of machine-made red clay tiles is present to the rear left. An early 17th-century two-storey porch has been added to the front. On the ground floor are two 19th-century tripartite sash windows with 4:16:4 panes of glass. The first floor has three 20th-century casement windows. There is an early 19th-century six-panel door protected by a flat canopy supported on profiled brackets. Recent additions include bay windows on each side of the porch. A simple parapet is topped with a moulded wooden cornice. The porch and stair tower have hipped roofs. Internally, the house features jowled posts and primary straight bracing; the studding displays edge-halved and bridled scarf joints in the rear wallplate. The ground-floor rooms contain axial beams with deep chamfers and large lamb's tongue stops, supported by plain vertical-section joists. A brick pier supports the left end of the left beam. Part of the studding on the rear wall of the right lower room has been removed. The hearth on the left side has an inserted mantel beam with lamb's tongue stops, below the original, severed mantel beam, with both ends remaining in place; while the surrounding brick jambs have been re-faced. The right hearth has been significantly altered. Internal brick nogging has been added as decoration. Similar flooring is present on the upper floors. The roof structure includes butt-purlins with joggled purlins, spanning three bays above each room. Much of the original newel stair, leading to the attics, remains intact, though it has been altered near the bottom. Historical records suggest the house was likely built as a vicarage by John Smyth, owner of Jericho Priory, due to its location near the church and on land associated with the priory.