The Manor House

WYMONDLEY WYMONDLEY ROAD TL 2128 (North side) Great Wymondley

10/178 The Manor House 27.5.68 (formerly listed as Manor Farmhouse)

GV II*

House. C15 probably for Alington family, early C17 rebuild of hall range with 2-storeys, chimney on site of cross-passage, and 2-storeys porch. Alterations in late C17. Timber frame with brick sill, roughcast, ground floor cased in red brick. Steep old red tile roofs. Slate roof at rear to E half of hall range. 2-storeys house with hall range and 2 crosswings, in NW angle of crossroads, facing S. Jettied upper floor to S end of W crosswing, hall range, and upper storey of porch jettied on 3 sides. 2 diagonal square shafts to internal chimney rising in rear roofslope. E wall chimney with 2 diagonal shafts on E side of E wing. Lean-to ground level cellar to rear of E wing. 2 windows to each floor of hall range, 2-lights casements with 3-lights casement below jetty to LH of porch. Lattice leaded casements renewed. 2-lights casement window to each floor of gable of E wing. Small 2-lights ovolo-moulded window in each side of lower storey of open porch. Old moulded plank door in heavy moulded frame with ovolo and fillet and jamb stops. Dragon-beams exposed in ceiling of porch. Interior has exposed frame with jowled posts, curved braces to tie-beams on 1st floor, paired tension braces in front and sidewalls of wings, clasped purlin roofs, W wing has undivided 1st floor, similar 2-bays E wing has had tie-beam removed. Chamber over hall has small high blocked 2-light ovolo windows flanking front window. Ovolo moulded axial beam in this room. Stone fireplace with 4-centred opening and double ovolo moulded jambs with high stops. Foliage and shields in spandrels. When old service rooms in W wing made into kitchen a larder was provided in a W end extension, and a staircase included. The parlour in the E wing has a fireplace with a 4-centred chamfered brick opening and canted rear corners, staircase in bay to rear. Unusually extensive remains of wall paintings uncovered in 5 rooms. Early C16 fragmentary black letter painted inscriptions in chamber over kitchen. Other scenes late C16 or early C17 in parlour and in the other 1st floor rooms. Parlour: a frieze of black-letter text in elaborate frames, diamond and rectangular, above walls of geometric and floral pattern with shallow quatrefoils enclosing sprays of flowers. Chamber over parlour: on N window wall, shallow frieze of squares with 4-lobed ornaments above wall with repeat pattern of diamonds and scrolls containing a Tudor rose and decorative motifs. Black and white with touches of green and pale red. In chamber over hall a diamond pattern framing flower motifs and a rectangular panel over fireplace. The chamber in the upper part of the porch has a pedimented architectural composition on its N wall with indications of capitals. (RCHM (1911)106: VCH (1912)182: Kelly (1914)295: RCHM Typescript).

Listing NGR: TL2134828700