Graveley Hall

GRAVELEY CHURCH LANE TL 2328 (North side)

12/4 Graveley Hall 9.6.52 GV II

Manor house. E wing late medieval, hall range rebuilt C17, renovated 1717 as a farmhouse by John Chalkley ('JC/1717/J & EF/1958' restored panel on S chimney of E wing), brick cased and interior alterations c.1840, restored 1958 by Donald W Insall & Associates for Franklin family. Timber frame cased in red brick. Steep old red tile hipped roofs. A 2-storeys and cellar, L-plan house facing S with single-storey service wing extending to W from N end of W side of E wing. Plat-band, brick dentilled eaves course, flush 3-lights casement windows, and 3 large lateral chimneys with square shafts set diagonally and crow steps to heavy projecting moulded base (that at S end of E wing has clunch quoins). On S front E wing projecting on RH has one window to each floor. Entrance in angle with wing by 6-panels moulded door (bottom 2 panels flush beaded) with moulded hood on shaped brackets. Canted bay window to hall on left of door, with window over, and one window to each floor of W part. Interior has exposed frame in E wing which has a 2-bays parlour at S end separated by an original staircase bay from a smaller 2-bays rear room with large sidewall fireplace on W side from which 2 large domed projecting ovens were removed in early C20. Chamfered cross-beam with stops and chamfered posts in walls at each end. In NW corner a corner cupboard with hemi-cycle head, shaped shelves, and older scratch moulded doors re-used. Elaborate leaf-carved stop to moulded cross-beam in parlour with smaller moulded axial beams (now exposed) only beside C19 inserted staircase in N part of 2nd bay. This rises to a landing with scratch moulded panelling, early C18 barley-sugar balustrade (formerly from around headmaster's desk in former Hitchin Old Free School and inserted here 1958), plaster ogee-head openings c.1840, stop-jowled bay-posts, and doorway to lobby at NE chamfered and stopped on outside to former stairhead in next bay. Upper floor of E wing has chamfered and stopped axial beams to support floor of former attics. 2-steps up to upper floor of hall range with rooms partly in the roof. During works in 1958 stone wide 4-centred arch fireplace with sunk spandrels moved to hall from chamber over parlour, and fine carved oak cupboard door with cipher of James I, found in house, was set beside the hall fireplace. (RCHM (1911)93: Pevsner (1977)148: RCHM Typescript: inf Mr. Franklin).

Listing NGR: TL2345628116