The Dower House, Mergate Hall

The Dower House at Mergate Hall is a building that serves as a barn below and a dwelling above, dating from the 17th century and later. It is constructed of colour-washed brick with a pantiled roof. The east end was originally timber-framed but was rebuilt in brick in 1789, as indicated by the tie-ends. The building has two storeys with an attic and features some original three-light ovolo moulded mullion windows on the ground floor, while the first floor has 20th-century windows. The roof is steeply pitched with crow-stepped gables. Inside, there are fine ovolo moulded principal beams with elaborate faceted stops at the first floor level and at the western end of the ground floor. The building also contains two original door frames with chamfer stops and a partly original winding stair that leads from the first floor to the attic. The roof structure is notable, consisting of an 11-bay design with three trusses, each rebuilt in 1789, featuring clasped purlins, reduced principals, and straight wind braces.