High House

High House

High House is a former small manor house located in Bredfield, originally dating from the 16th century with substantial additions and alterations made during the 19th and 20th centuries. The building is constructed of timber-frame with whitewashed render, Flemish bond brick and a plain-tiled roof, rising to two storeys with an attic.

The house follows a three-cell baffle-entry plan, to which have been added a slightly projecting brick wing, a staircase wing and an outshut. The entrance front features a projecting brick wing on the left with a projecting plinth that dies back via an offset. The ground floor of this wing is blank, with the walling above dying back by means of another offset. Two lateral single-light casements light the first floor. Brick kneelers support brick pyramidal pinnacles, and at the apex of the gable stands a massive chimney-stack with three octagonal flues terminating in richly decorated caps with oversailing courses.

To the right of this, the timber-framed portion is rendered with a brick plinth. At right of centre sits a 20th-century semi-octagonal porch with hipped roof and central doorway. Flanking this are windows each containing four central lights with ovolo-moulded mullions and a transom, to either side of which are small upper two-light windows starting at the level of the transom of the larger window. The first floor repeats this arrangement. The right-hand bay projects very slightly. At the ridge stands another massive chimney-stack with moulded top bearing four octagonal flues with moulded bases and capitals of oversailing courses. The right-hand gable end features French windows at ground floor level, while the first floor has a four-light casement window with two upper lights to either side in an ovolo-moulded frame, and a two-light casement window in the gable.

The left-hand side shows the brickwork of the wing at right, with 20th-century brick to the left at ground floor level. An eight-light ovolo-moulded window at ground floor right is surmounted by a four-light window with lateral upper lights, and a two-light gabled attic window above. The rear features four-light central windows with flanking two-light upper windows at both ground and first floor levels to the left. To left of centre, the projecting staircase bay has a five-light casement at mezzanine level between the ground and first floors, and a further four-light window at the upper mezzanine level between the first and attic floors, with plain bargeboards above. To the right is a 19th-century outshut with catslide roof and brick walling. Three cambered-headed two-light casement windows and three similar windows to the left light this outshut, with a stable door with cambered head at the right. Above are two levels of gabled dormer windows, each level containing two two-light windows.

The interior preserves exposed close-studding throughout the ground and first floor rooms, with plank doors and uneven panelling in one ground floor room, possibly brought from elsewhere. The ceiling beams are chamfered with ogee end-stops. The staircase comprises four flights with turned balusters, moulded hand-rail and knop finials. The first floor has ovolo-moulded ceiling beams.