Oak Cottage

TL 3929 12/66 22.2.67

HORMEAD HARE STREET (East side) Oak Cottage

GV II*

House. C15 or early C16 open hall house with storeyed S bay and N cross- wing, hall floored, re-roofed and chimney built at lower end in late C16 or early C17 and stair bay added to rear of crosswing, restored and rear lean-to replaced by kitchen wing 1963. Timber frame on brick sill, front with exposed close-studding and plastered N end and infill panels, with weatherboarding on S end and steep old red tile roofs, half hip at S end. A late medieval T-plan hall house facing W with hall, cross-passage with buttery and pantry doors on S, 4-centred arched doorways to front and rear, jettied 2-storeys N crosswing at upper end with original clasped-purlin roof and wind braces and curved tension braces recessed into the inside of the walls so as not to appear externally. W front has 3-light C19 flush casement windows to Ground Floor and 1st floor of crosswing, a large gabled dormer at the front eaves of the hall range, a tall red brick internal chimney, and a battened door in a Tudor arched frame with sunk spandrels. External chimney on N side of crosswing and later chimney for 1st floor bedroom beside it. Curved knee-braces to pronounced front jetty. Interior has crossbeam and flat wide joists in crosswing,deep chamfered axial beam and chamfered joists over hall, crossbeam over hall a little N of present chimney carried on conical wood corbels on posts, 4-centred head to rear door of crosspassage but square chamfered heads to pair of service doors. Framing for stair next rear wall, tension bracing on inside of S end wall and side walls of end bay with shutter groove for window. Clasped-purlin roof over S bay but rest of hall range roof rebuilt with butt purlins and dormer framing. Large curved braces in wall formerly the S end of open hall. 2-bay crosswing with jowled posts and central tie-beam. Framing of S end has sunk considerably and false-framing conceals this at front and keeps eaves level. (Photos in NMR).

Listing NGR: TL3902629420