Peppertree Farm Farmhouse

Peppertree Farm Farmhouse

This is a timber-framed farmhouse built in the early 16th century, with substantial alterations carried out in the late 19th century and further extensions added in the early 21st century.

The structure is timber-framed with walls clad in red brick laid in Flemish bond and Suffolk white brick dressings. The roof is slate-covered, though it was formerly thatched.

The house is rectangular on plan, facing east towards Hares Road. It comprises a two-cell hall house with an additional cell to the south, which was either added later or rebuilt in the late 19th century. A single-storey extension was added to the rear in the late 19th century, and a perpendicular rectangular-plan two-storey extension was added to the south-west corner in the early 21st century.

The two-storey main house has a hipped slate roof with a 17th-century axial red brick chimneystack positioned to the left of centre. The principal elevation facing east was re-fronted in the late 19th century with red brick laid in Flemish bond over a brick plinth course and Suffolk white brick dressings. The first floor has a continuous white brick sill course and white brick crosses between each bay on both the principal and south elevations. The first-floor windows are flat-arched with 9-pane side-hung casements, while the ground-floor windows are segmental-arched with 12-pane side-hung casements; all were replaced in the early 21st century on a like-for-like basis. The main door opening to the left of centre is segmental-arched and approached by four stone steps with a wrought-iron handrail, containing a 21st-century door. A second door opening between the two right bays is flat-arched and contains a half-glazed door. The south side has a single bay of windows, widened to the right in the 20th century, and displays a sandstone plaque carved with the initials 'SBW' in relief. The rear (west) elevation has a white brick surround to its southmost first-floor window, with two further first-floor windows added in the late 20th or early 21st century. A late 19th-century glazed garden room was added to the centre of the ground floor. The north side has a single bay of windows introduced in the 20th or 21st century.

Internally, the two-cell room at the north end of the ground floor represents the original 16th-century hall house and retains exposed chamfered beams with curved step chamfer stops and heavy close-studding. Evidence survives of diamond mullion windows on the front, back and north walls. At the extreme north end, cross-passage doorways are evident on the front and back walls, with the rear doorway still in position retaining a depressed 4-centred arched doorway of around 1530. The north wall shows evidence of a blocked doorway. The wide open fireplace on the south wall retains a cambered lintel, and the chimneystack was likely inserted or rebuilt in the 17th century. West of the fireplace, a recess possibly marking the former location of a stair was infilled in the 19th century with a Gothic arch and shelves. The cell south of the chimneystack appears to have been rebuilt when the building was re-fronted in the late 19th century. The straight stair to the first floor has plain stick balusters, newel posts and handrail, typical of late 19th-century work.

At first-floor level, the two-bay chamber over the hall retains an arch-braced cambered tie-beam supporting an open truss with a simple rectangular-sectioned crown post. The timber frame is tension-braced and retains exposed close-studding with pegging. At the south end of the chamber, a ledged timber battened door has been fitted around the east arched brace, while the west arched brace has been cut to accommodate a ledged timber battened door. A door opening to a dressing room in the north cell has been cut into the beam. Evidence survives of mullioned windows on the front, back and north walls.