The Grange House

The Grange House is a farmhouse that has been converted into a private residence. It dates from around 1700, with possibly some parts from the 17th century incorporated at the northern end. The house underwent alterations around 1815 and again in 1921, with renovations taking place around 1980. It is constructed of red and blue brick with stucco decoration and features slate roofs.

This large building has two storeys, attics, and a cellar, and is set back from the road, facing west. The main part of the house has a layout that includes a stair and entrance hall situated between two rooms, while the northern end is slightly set back. There are 19th-century additions at the rear.

The west front of the main part is symmetrical, featuring a plinth, a plat band, and a projecting mutular cornice, along with gable parapets supported by corbelled kneelers. It has three box dormers and two very wide sash windows on each floor, with a central sash window above the entrance that has three over three panes. The entrance is marked by a Doric porch with a full entablature and half-columns, leading to a half-glazed panelled door. The northern wing includes a sash window with four over eight panes, topped with a flat gauged arch on each floor. Each window on the main front consists of three conjoined sash windows of the same size with three over three panes, featuring stucco surrounds and round arched heads on the central sash of each group.

Inside, there is a wide open fireplace in the internal north gable chimney. The southern room has a rear-wall projecting chimney and a tunnel vaulted brick cellar that extends south under the garden. The early 19th-century cut string staircase with stick balusters rises to the attic, although the ground floor layout has been altered. The southern parlour features a dentilled cornice that runs around an axial beam, an 18th-century fire surround, and a high dado. The front windows have internal shutters that slide into the jambs like doors, and there is a two-panel door with HL hinges.

The house is located just outside the municipal boundary of Hitchin and was referred to as The Old Bell House on a map from 1750 in Hitchin Museum. It was later known as The Elms Farm and served as a dower house to New England House.