Hoggs Farmhouse

A hall house dating from the 15th century, it was altered in the 17th century. The house is timber-framed, with plaster infill and a roof of handmade red clay tiles. It originally comprised a two-bay hall aligned northeast to southwest, with an integrated service area to the northeast. A two-bay parlour or solar crosswing is positioned at the southwest, originally jettied on the northwest side, but now underbuilt. An inserted chimney stack at the junction of the hall and crosswing created a lobby entrance on the northwest side, a feature of the early 17th century. A lean-to porch, originally on the north side, is now blocked and incorporated into the crosswing to form closets on both floors. The house is single-storey with attics, and two storeys high. The northwest elevation has four 20th-century casement windows on the ground floor, and two gabled dormers with 20th-century casement windows above. One original service doorway, with a depressed four-centred head, remains visible, while other wall framing is concealed by lath and plaster. The main tiebeam of the hall was removed; a binding beam was inserted below it, along with an axial beam extending from it to the chimney stack, both plain chamfered with lamb's tongue stops. The roof of the hall was extended over the service end in the early 17th century. The crosswing roof is of crownpost construction and ceiled, with the base of the central crownpost visible at ceiling level. The building differs from typical Essex yeoman farmhouses in that the crosswing is at the "high" end of the hall, and in its subsequent development pattern; typically in Essex, the first inserted stack is in the lower hall bay, leaving a clear cross-entry, whereas here it is positioned at the “high” end and serves both the hall and parlour. The inserted beams are also untypical, seemingly designed to deal with an obstructive tiebeam. The house has remained largely undisturbed since then, with most of the original timber frame still present within the lath and plaster.