Lincolns

House, Lincolns Lane, Pilgrims Hatch

This is a timber-framed and rendered house with a peg-tiled roof, dating from around 1500 with significant additions and modifications through the late 16th century, 17th century, and 20th century. The building follows a rectangular plan with a central range and cross-wings at each end, with a later out-shut added at the east end.

The exterior presents two storeys. The front south elevation shows the central range with two end gables. The 20th-century rendering carries decorative motifs, and a 20th-century stack has been rebuilt off-centre to the west. All windows are 20th-century casements with glazing bars. The ground floor has a 2-light window of 4x3 panes, a simple timber porch with lean-to peg-tiled roof and 20th-century 8-panel front door, followed by a 2-light window of 4x4 panes, a 2-light window of 4x3 panes, and an out-shut window of 1-light 2x2 panes, arranged west to east. The first floor contains two 2-light windows of 4x3 panes and two 2-light windows of 4x4 panes.

The rear north elevation retains continuous roof, hipped at the east end, with 20th-century rendering and panel decoration. Windows are mostly similar to those on the front but positioned irregularly. The ground floor has a fully glazed French window and side lights of 8x5 panes to the east, followed by two 2-light windows of 4x4 and 4x3 panes respectively. The first floor contains three 2-light windows of 4x4 panes west to east, and a 20th-century reinstated mullioned window at the rear of the cross-wing with 3 mullion bars.

The west end elevation shows a ground-floor 2-light window of 4x2 panes and an original medieval mullioned window with 3 mullions on the first floor. The east end elevation, within the out-shut, features 20th-century elements including a stable door, another boarded door, and a single-light window of 2x2 panes.

Internally, the earliest unit is the east cross-wing dating from around 1500. Walling partly exposed in the out-shut displays exterior arched bracing. The cross-wing contains two original mullioned windows in the side wall and two reinstated windows. The front was originally jettied. Framing is unjowled with step-stopped chamfers on principals. Floor joists are of soffit tenon type. A stair trap exists in the front bay. The cross-wing roof has a crown-post with curved 2-way braces and was originally hipped at the rear. The cross-wing side wall to the hall displays typical high-end display framing with arched bracing from a centre post, gouged carpenters' assembly marks, and peg holes on alternate studs for a high-end bench. The roof over the hall was later rebuilt using sooted rafters bearing skewed joints for collars, evidently from the old open hall that abutted the early cross-wing.

The west cross-wing, the rebuilding of the hall, and the construction of a brick stack backing onto the cross passage date from the late 16th century. All timber-framing in this phase bears lamb's-tongue chamfer stops. Service doorways in the cross-wing are simple rectangular frames with similar decoration. Evidence remains of buttery and pantry partition walls. Ceiling joists are flat-laid with diminished haunched soffit tenons. The cross-wing first-floor walling has internal tension bracing bypassing the studs. A mullioned window appears in the outer side wall, with evidence for two more in the front and back walls. The roof of the west cross-wing is wind-braced, side-purlin type.

The hall shows evidence of two rebuilds. The first, of late 16th-century date, includes a stack of thin bricks in Flemish stretcher bond. The fireplace was rebuilt in the 20th century but lamb's-tongue chamfer stops remain on the ceiling bridging joist. A first-floor fireplace is blocked but its timber lintel survives with lamb's-tongue stops. The roof over the cross passage and around the stack sides is simple side-purlin type. The second rebuild involves first-floor walling with some primary bracing exposed and a roof section between the stack and high-end cross-wing of butt side-purlin type, suggesting a later 17th-century reconstruction of the upper section. Sooted rafters in this section suggest that some of the original roof remained in use until this later reconstruction.

Lincolns forms part of a group with the stable and barn (listed separately).