Halfway House

TL 4322 7/12

LITTLE HADHAM Little Hadham-on-Ash THE ASH (west side) Halfway House

GV II House. Late C17. Two storeys and attics, three windows, double fronted, timber framed, plastered, set back from road and facing east.

Steep old red tile gabled roof continuing as a catslide at rear over a contemporary shallow weatherboarded outshot containing from south to north a bakehouse, kitchen and dairy, with a cellar under the kitchen. Red brick external gable chimneys in English bond.Projecting chimneys for bakehouse and kitchen at rear, two room plan with wide central passage between containing staircase and access to rear.

Symmetrical front with flush box sash windows having moulded architraves and 6/6 panes (renewed). Six-panel moulded door, top two panels glazed. Trellis work gabled porch, west of chimney in south end early C19 French doors with reeded surround, corner blocks, paired brackets to flat hood and panelled internal shutters. Next east corner on north end a window with early C18 heavy ovolo-moulded glazing bars. Attics lit by gable casement windows.

Structure of three bays of heavy jowled posts, chamfered axial beams over ground floor rooms, cross beams over first floor rooms, and butt purlin roof. Vertically moulded plank door with old iron strap hinges survives in attic. Two-panel doors with HL hinges on ground and first floors.

The house of Captain William Harvey (d 1807) who sailed with Captain James Cook on all three circumnavigations and is buried near the porch of Little Hadham Church (Marshall (nd) 8).

Late C17 house, little changed, illustrating a stage in the development of the double pile house. Forms a group with the old forge on its north side.

Listing NGR: TL4380522341