Martins

Martins is a house dating from the later 16th century, with significant additions and alterations made over subsequent centuries. It stands on the south side of Potten End, set back from the road on what was formerly common land, facing north across two storeys.

The original structure is timber-framed, built on a black stucco plinth and rendered with ashlar lining. The Victorian rear section is constructed in red brick, similarly rendered. The building is roofed in steep old red tiles with a half-hip at the west end.

The main north-facing elevation displays four upper windows and three ground floor windows, plus one in a lean-to enclosed porch. Most windows are flush Yorkshire sliding casements with small panes, except for casements to the left of the porch. The west gable end has two flush 2-light casements on the first floor and a 3-light Yorkshire sliding casement at ground level. A 2-storey, one-bay southwest wing, added in the early 17th century, has a lower floor level. Its west side shows a triple casement to the first floor with a 5-light Yorkshire sliding casement below. The south gable of this wing has a 2-light Yorkshire sliding casement on the first floor and a 3-light window below. An original ceiling beam in this wing indicates it once contained a garret in the roof.

A taller, mid-19th-century gabled rear wing projects further back with its own gabled porch. Two flush sash windows with 8/8 panes are set to the first floor, with a similar window to the right of the porch protecting a half-glazed panelled door. The east flank of this wing has one sash window on each storey. A 20th-century extension at the east end rises to two storeys on the north front but reduces to 1½ storeys at the rear, topped with a gabled dormer above French doors.

The interior reveals exposed timber frame and floor beams of a 3-bay house with full-height structural partitions dividing a central hall-bay, originally open to the roof. A floor was later inserted into the hall, carried on an axial beam with ovolo moulding and bar-stops dateable to around 1620. The end-bays contain chamfered axial beams with hollow stops and squared joists exposed in the west bay. The framing displays jowled posts, straight braces, straight tension braces in the rear wall, squint-butted scarf joints in wallplates, wide-spaced wall-studs, and curved tension braces in partition walls. The roof is a clasped-purlin construction with straight and curved wind-braces, collar trusses and queen-strut trusses. The first floor of the southwest wing has an ovolo-moulded axial beam similar to that in the hall but with hollow stops. A cross-passage, partitioned from the east end of the hall-bay, likely dates only from the 19th century. Internal chimneys exist between the west and middle bays, with a rear lateral chimney to the east bay and another at the junction of the southwest wing with the main house.

The hall was floored and the southwest wing added in the early 17th century. The stair hall, rear parlour and chamber above were probably added in stages during the mid-19th century under John Edward Lane (1808–1889), who first leased the house in 1839 when he began making alterations. More extensive works followed in 1853, when he added porches, roughcast the entire building, and replaced old leaded casements with sash windows. A 20th-century extension was later added at the lower east end.

Historically, the house was owned by the Ewar family in 1607, passed to the Howe family in 1669, formed part of the bequest establishing the Balshaw Charity in 1782, and was sold to the Ashridge Estate in 1863. John Edward Lane, already resident in the house, established a plant and tree nursery business in 1858, which eventually became the celebrated Balshaw Nurseries of Potten End.