The Woodlands

The Woodlands is a former farmhouse, likely once a manor house, now divided into two dwellings. The core of the building dates from the mid to late 13th century, with significant alterations and additions made in the mid-16th century, creating a long, continuous structure. It is timber-framed and plastered, with remnants of ropework-pargetted plaster panels, and has a thatched roof. The house has two storeys, displaying a range of small-paned casement windows from the 18th and 19th centuries. A 20th-century thatched entrance porch shelters a boarded door in two leaves, and a small lean-to porch with a boarded door is situated to the right. An axial stack with a rebuilt shaft is present, along with two smaller stacks to the left, one against the gable end.

The original house comprised a two-bay aisled hall, with the aisles later narrowed in the 16th century. A single arcade post remains from the open truss, uniquely shaped as a rounded square with a fine moulded capital. One straight brace also survives from the arcade plate. The rest of the open truss is largely intact, with straight braces running from the arcade posts to the rafters, broken and halved at the tie beam. Doubled passing braces clasp the arcade post and the main braces, meeting just above collar level. Additional tie beams exist on either side of the open truss, with one cut through, and two over the cross-passage, one of which has been removed. Both arcade posts survive within the closed trusses at the upper and lower ends, retaining remains of moulded half-capitals. The gable wall at the upper end is intact, featuring passing braces meeting at the apex. Evidence of previous horizontal ties, possibly supporting gables over hall windows, is visible on the arcade plates of the upper bay. Evidence of a former solar cross-wing is shown by housing for rafters in the tie beam.

The intact coupled-rafter roof over the hall retains its original character, along with the inner ends of the aisle rafters, with all members being substantial and well-finished. A plain 16th-century floor features original joists. A mid-16th-century addition extends from the upper end of the hall, incorporating a roof with a single row of clasped purlins. A larger addition, built in the mid-16th century and set slightly back, is connected to the hall via a 16th-century stack. This addition showcases good studding with reversed braces, closely-set plain first-floor joists, a 16th-century newel stair, and a queen-post roof with a ridge piece. This represents a rare survival of an aisled hall, particularly significant due to the largely unaltered roof. Remains of a moat, likely contemporary with the hall, are also present.