The Pale Farm and barn adjoining on east

The Pale Farm, along with the adjoining barn to the east, is a complex building with a history spanning several centuries. The west crosswing dates back to the 15th century, with the main range likely constructed around 1500, reputedly by John Carter. The barn was built in the 16th century, with alterations occurring in the 18th century including brick casing and an inserted floor to the crosswing. Further changes were made in the 20th century: a brick west road frontage to the crosswing was rebuilt around 1940 after collapse, the house was extended into two bays of the barn around 1950, and a polygonal glazed conservatory was added to the south side around 1980.

The building’s construction is primarily timber-framed. The main range has exposed timbers with plastered infill panels, whereas the west crosswing is brick-cased on its south and west sides (with chequered red brick and blue headers), brick-nogged on the north and east sides, and dark weatherboarded on the barn to the east. All sections have steep roofs covered with old red tiles.

The building presents as a long, L-shaped two-storey house facing south, with the west crosswing projecting onto the road. The south front features fine carpentry, with the upper floor jettied over three bays, displaying brackets to protruding floor beams and ogee tension bracing. The ground floor exhibits close studding, with a similar pattern on the rear wall. A through-passage is located at the west end, featuring opposed doors. A four-centred arched doorway is also present. Casement windows are arranged in each bay on both floors. A two-storey, three-bay west service wing, formerly open to the roof, features three windows on each floor facing the road. An east extension, one and a half storeys high, incorporates the barn, with a hipped dormer and weatherboard and tiled cladding. A polygonal glazed conservatory is linked to this extension, situated freely in the garden.

The central room of the main range, the hall, contains an axial chamfered beam with hollow stops, an ovolo moulded fireplace lintel, and a step up to the parlour in the east bay. The roof is a clasped-purlin design with queen-posts and straight wind braces. The three-bay west crosswing includes a staircase rising from the cross passage in the southeast corner and a large internal north gable chimney. An inserted floor and upper fireplace are also present. The roof here is also clasped-purlin, featuring tie-beams, collars and curved wind braces; a previous cutting of the tie-beam between two northern bays caused spreading and partial collapse of the brickwork on the west side.

The barn range has a four-bay clasped-purlin roof (now reduced to three bays). It features massive timbers, jowled posts, straight braces to tie-beams and wallplate, heavy angled queen-posts, notched principals, quadrant convex curved wind braces, and a squint-butted scarf joint in the wallplate. The wide bays have low walls and storey-height studs. The west bay, now incorporated into the house, is partitioned and brick-nogged. Unusually heavy flat rafters are also a feature.

Historically, The Pale marked the boundary of the royal hunting park at Kings Langley.