Alymers

This is a lobby entrance manor house, dating to the early 17th century, which has undergone restoration and extension in the 20th century. The house is timber framed and plastered, with exposed studwork and a roof of handmade red clay tiles. It originally comprised three bays aligned approximately north to south, with a chimney stack in the middle bay, forming a lobby entrance to the east and featuring an original three-story porch. A stair tower is located to the west of the middle bay, and a two-bay service wing extends from the northwest angle. A single-story extension to the north of the west end of the service wing creates a Z-shaped plan; this was converted into a separate dwelling around 1980. A single-story, flat-roofed extension from the 20th century is attached to the west of the south bay of the house, and a small lean-to porch is against the north side of the existing porch, also from the 20th century.

The main house and porch are two stories high with attics, while the service wing and north extension are single-story with attics. Two-story oriels with attics flank the porch on each side, created in the 20th century, with large gabled dormers forming a symmetrical appearance. All windows are 20th-century casements in an early 17th-century style. A ground-floor oriel on the north elevation features a moulded brick base, four ovolo-moulded mullions, intermediate diamond stiffening bars of iron, and a transom carved with a guilloche design both inside and out; the corner posts are elaborately carved, the west being original and the east accurately restored. Some early coal-fired glass remains, with 20th-century leading. Some 20th-century wooden casements have replaced original wrought iron ones, but the overall appearance remains historically authentic.

Internally, some timber framing is exposed, with closely spaced, straight-braced studs. Axial beams are plain chamfered with lamb's tongue stops. Ground-floor joists in the south room are exposed but intended to be lathed and plastered, as are the other ceilings. Storey posts feature small jowls at the first floor, as well as larger jowls at the top. The hearth of the ground-floor north room has two recessed panels above the mantel beam, plastered, one bearing the date 1615, which appears authentic and aligns with other evidence. The hearth of the first-floor north room has a brick arch with stop-chamfered lintels. The stair tower retains its original newel post and some original treads. The roof is of butt-purlin construction, with original apertures for three dormers on the east side. The service wing’s roof was originally trussed with straight braces to the collar, without a central tiebeam. The east oriels are largely 20th-century work, although they may be based on original features. The house was previously reported to be in poor condition by the RCHM around 1920 and has since been extensively restored.