The Old Brick House And No. 2 Ford Hill

The Old Brick House and No. 2 Ford Hill are a group of houses, dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries, located in Little Hadham, Hertfordshire. They are believed to be the buildings referred to as ‘Le Holles’ in deeds from 1507 and, later, ‘Lee Holles’ in 1666, with the latter being known as the brick house by 1725.

The buildings form a T-shaped layout facing north. The western arm, No. 2 Ford Hill, is a long, 16th-century timber-frame building encased in brick, with a steep roof covered in old red tiles. It features three small gabled dormers along the wall plate and a prominent central chimney situated approximately one-third of the way from the west end. To the east is a tall, 17th-century brick range, formerly known as Hollands Close, with a gabled roof of old red tiles. A large chimney with two tall octagonal shafts, moulded bases, and caps (the rear cap is missing) rises at the junction of the wings, incorporating a gabled porch leading to a lobby entry. Modern additions include a single-storey lean-to on the north side and a two-storey weatherboarded extension at the rear west corner.

The western range originally comprised three units with a former open hall in the middle. It retains a close-studded north side wall, replaced with brick in the 19th century, and a 17th-century red brick parlour was added to the west end. The parlour has a chamfered external plinth offset. A large central chimney was constructed in the mid-17th century, and a floor inserted into the hall. Axial and cross beams display deep ovolo mouldings. The parlour's chimney was likely added in the 18th or 19th century. Small 19th-century casement windows and plank doors are present. The eastern part of the building is constructed of red brick with a plinth and projecting band between the ground and first floors, using irregular English bonding. The front elevation features one window on each storey, with 3-light wooden casements replacing the oak mullioned windows recorded in 1914 and drawn around 1834. The lack of arches over openings is likely an original feature. Two windows are located on the east side above the lean-to roof. A small vent slot in the apex of the front gable is partly obscured by a modern shield.

The ground floor of the western range comprises a large room with a chamfered and stopped axial beam. It includes a wide brick fireplace with a depressed 4-centred arch, a winding stair in a projection beside the chimney, plank doors, an entrance from a lobby on the north side of the stack, and a small service room partitioned off from the rear, marked by chamfer stops on the axial beam. The chamber above has a smaller depressed 4-centred brick fireplace with hollowed spandrels to the chamfered jambs, in two orders. A square sunk panel sits above, similar to that found at Lower Farm, Bury Green. The axial beam is chamfered and stopped. A separate staircase leads to the attic floor, and the roof is a side-purlin design.

The buildings are historically significant as they demonstrate three stages in the transition from an open hall house to a multi-storey house and illustrate the early use of brick in residential construction.