Ingulfs

Ingulfs is a muscular Gothic-style house built in 1862, constructed in rich red brick with dressings in brick (some vitrified) and glazed tiles, under slate-clad roofs. The house faces west and has an asymmetrical, approximately rectangular plan with a projecting entrance porch at the south end.

Exterior

The two-storey house is characterised by irregular elevations and a complex roofscape with pointed arch windows throughout. A first-floor brick string course runs around the building, and all gables feature tumbled-in brickwork at the apex and ends, sometimes along the sides as well.

The principal west-facing elevation has, on the right-hand side, a two-storey gabled entrance bay with a chimney stack rising through the gable end. At first-floor level is a group of three pointed arches consisting of a double row of alternating headers and stretchers, punctuated with vitrified brick. This distinctive form of brick arch is repeated over apertures throughout the building, though usually with a single line of bricks. Underneath the outer arches are small one-over-one pane sash windows with pointed arch upper sashes and timber glazing bars, as found in almost all the windows. Underneath the central arch is the stone-carved coat of arms of the Bishop of Rochester. There are no windows on the ground floor, which extends on the left side under a sloping roof to form the entrance porch. This has a pointed arch opening with dogtooth brickwork and chamfered jambs with broached stops. A datestone inscribed '1862' is set above in a circular brick surround. The Victorian-style tiled floor of the porch is a modern replica and the window with red coloured banding is also of recent date. The original plank and batten door forms a pointed arch and retains its wrought-iron door furniture, including decorative strap hinges. Above the sloping entrance porch is a single-bay projection under a pyramidal roof, lit by a three-over-three pane window; the upper sash does not quite rise to a point but has chamfered corners and a flat top instead. To the left is a slightly recessed bay lit by a 20th-century casement window on the ground floor (although the pointed brick arch remains). The first floor is lit by a three-over-three pane sash with a chamfered upper sash and fish-scale red and black tiling in the apex of the arch. This tiling detail is used extensively throughout the house, particularly on the east (garden) elevation.

To the left is the recessed service side, which has a mid-20th-century lean-to extension covering a formerly open recessed area. It has an off-centre pointed arch doorway flanked by flat-headed casements. Above the lean-to, on the right-hand side, is a bay under a hipped roof, lit at first-floor level by a pair of two-over-two pane sashes. To the left is a slightly taller bay which serves as both a dovecote and bell tower. It has a pyramidal roof surmounted by a timber bell-cote and has three openings for doves under the eaves, though these are now blocked. The small pointed arch window (which was moved there from the porch) has diamond leaded lights, each containing a floral motif in stained glass, and the whole is edged in red. To the left is the northernmost projecting gabled bay, which has a blind lean-to extension at ground-floor level and a six-over-six pane sash window above.

The shorter south elevation faces the garden. From the left, the first bay has a tall, multi-paned replacement window on the ground floor, and above a gabled six-over-six pane sash with the tiled detailing. To the right is a door under a pointed arch, similar to that on the façade, flanked by two small windows. There is an original cast-iron boot-scraper pierced with two quatrefoils, a recurring motif in the decorative scheme of the house. Above the door, slightly to the left, is the first-floor window which lights the principal staircase. It is set under a hipped gable that projects slightly from the roof. The four-light window has a chamfered mullion and transom, with an oculus in the apex of the arch flanked by small triangles with a single trefoil below, the whole giving the effect of geometric tracery. The right-hand side is dominated by a projecting three-sided, double-height bay under a multi-pitched roof surmounted by a delicate wrought-iron finial. Each side of the bay is lit by a pointed arch window with the tiling detailing in the apex.

The east elevation also faces the garden. From the left it has a gabled bay with a projecting chimney, and then a three-over-three pane window on the first and second floors. This is followed by a slightly projecting chimney which is overlapped by a projecting gabled bay with 20th-century double-leaf French doors with pointed arch glazing to the upper panels. The original overlight has bordered glazing and red stained glass in each corner. Above is a three-over-three pane window. This is followed by a two-over-two pane sash on both floors under a wedge dormer. Next is a gabled bay with two three-over-three pane sashes on each floor, followed by a lower gabled bay with a first-floor sash window and a casement window on the ground floor which has the original iron security bars (this room was the former pantry). The short north elevation has two similar ground-floor windows with iron bars (to the dairy and scullery), followed by a Crittall window to the storeroom under the lean-to.

Interior

The front door opens into a long hall around which the three reception rooms are arranged in an L-shape on the south and east sides. The principal staircase is located on the south side between the study and drawing room and leads to the five bedrooms (one has been converted to a bathroom) in the polite (south) side of the house. A door on the north side of the hall leads to the former service rooms, which are also arranged in an L-shape on the north and east sides of the house. Along the north side, starting from the north-west corner, are the store, scullery, dairy and pantry (the latter two rooms now fitted with a kitchen), with the former kitchen (now sitting room) on the east side of the house. To the south of this is the former cloakroom, now used as a kitchen. The secondary staircase leads to the three former servants' bedrooms.

The interior retains a high proportion of the original fittings and joinery, including the floorboards, doors, moulded skirting boards and picture rails. Pitch pine is used extensively and is mostly painted white except for the staircases and entrance doors. Certain stylistic features are repeated, such as the use of the trefoil and quatrefoil, and the chamfered panels on the doors, shutter boxes and fitted furniture. The four-panelled doors (with shorter lower panels) are set in moulded frames which terminate in a broached square block at the base. The two entrance doors at the south end of the house have chamfered battens and retain all their iron door furniture, including the lock case, decorative latch, latch fastener and bolts. The windows have vertically sliding shutters (also known as sash shutters) which are housed below the window in panelled boxes. The shutters in the original kitchen are said to have the original green paint.

The paired doorways in the hall leading to the service rooms evoke the plan form of a medieval hall house, which typically had two doors leading from the low end of the hall to the service areas. The high end, where the lord presided from a dais, was open to the ceiling and was often lit by an oriel, which is here echoed in the high stairwell lit by a traceried window. The paired doorways are set in a square frame that reaches to ceiling height and have ogee arched openings with pierced trefoils in the spandrels. The central post incorporates an original umbrella stand. The doorway on the left has been blocked up. A wide pointed archway opposite leads to the principal open well staircase, which has winders at the first and second turns and a quarter pace landing. It is 17th-century in style with a closed string, pierced splat balusters, and heavy square newel posts which have chamfered edges and rudimentary finials carved with quatrefoils. There are two surviving fireplaces in the reception rooms. The white marble chimneypiece in the drawing room (south-east corner) has a relatively plain surround with a keystone and mantelshelf supported by elaborately carved foliate consoles. The grate has been removed. The chimneypiece in the dining room (east side) is similar in design but is made of dark reddish-brown marble mottled with white, and has tiled cheeks with a subtle lattice pattern in green. It retains its dog grate complete with trivets. The 18th-century style corner cupboard in this room is not original to the house. The fireplace in the study has been replaced with a 20th-century brick surround, but there are original fitted cupboards with shelving on either side, and also on the opposite wall, which are of high quality design and craftsmanship. Upstairs, the first-floor corridor is articulated by a series of pointed arched openings. The bedrooms in the polite side of the house retain fireplaces, three of which have stone surrounds painted white, with a shouldered arch opening with tiled sides which have a yellow floral and fleur-de-lys motif on a red background. The cast-iron grates have pierced trefoils in the top corners and some retain the trivets.

In the service area, the former kitchen has a large stone chimneypiece which contained the range (since removed) and has fitted cupboards on each side. The former dairy and pantry have been made into one room and fitted with a modern kitchen. The former scullery retains the quarry-tiled floor and fitted shelving, and the original pump remains in the covered yard. There is a brick cellar which has in-built wine storage. The plain secondary staircase, which has chamfered stick balusters, gives access to the plain former servants' rooms. The connecting door between this end of the house and that occupied by the family has square billet moulding above and a strap hinge to prevent it from banging.

Stable Block

The stable block is situated to the north and faces south towards the house. The west side contains a stable and former hayloft under a half-hipped roof. At right angles to this is a single storey plus attic range under a low pitched roof which contains a former tack room (now kitchen), groom's accommodation and garage (probably the former coach house).

The same materials and architectural detailing used for the house, such as the tumbled-in brickwork and pointed arch windows, are repeated here. The west elevation has a gabled bay lit by a square-headed stable window under a pointed brick arch, and a 20th-century casement window inserted in place of the hayloft opening. This is followed by the entrance porch, which has a pointed arched opening and brick-lined floor. To the right is a 20th-century window, followed by a 20th-century timber garage door. The rear elevation is lit by original windows with pointed arch brick heads and has a dentilled string course just below the attic windows.

The stable retains its original door, brick-lined floor and stall dividers, and the adjoining tack room has one panelled wall with hooks. The former hayloft has been incorporated into the living accommodation, in which the grained joinery and other fittings survive well, including four-panelled doors, matchboard cladding, fitted cupboards, and 19th-century cast-iron grates. The closed well staircase is boxed in by ceiling-height vertical panelling which is pierced with quatrefoils.