Stonewall Farmhouse

HEMINGSTONE LOWER ROAD TM 15 SE 7/120 Stonewall Farmhouse 9.12.55 - II*

Farmhouse, c.1500. A 3-cell Wealden open-hall house. 2 storeys and attics. Timber-framed and plastered; the recessed hall has 2 jettied cross-wings under a single roof. The close-studding is fully-exposed with plaster infill panels. Supporting brackets remain at the eaves, but brackets and pilaster shafts beneath the jetties have been removed. The rear wall of the hall is also recessed, a feature not normally found in Wealden houses in Suffolk. Plaintiled roofs; a lower cross-wing to left is also plaintiled. An axial chimney of c.1600 red brick with sawtooth shaft, and another of c.1600 (with square shaft) at rear of cross-wing. C18 or early C19 small-pane casements with transomes. C19 plaintiled gabled entrance porch with 6-panelled door, at cross-entry position. The central open hall has an open truss with a cambered tie-beam which has hollow-chamfered archbraces (one missing), rising from polygonal shafts with moulded capitals. Above is a long octagonal crownpost with moulded capital and 4-way braces. The roof has moderate smoke encrustation, which is also found in the roof over the parlour cell, apparently from a separate hearth. The fine close-studding has arch and tension windbracing. A blocked rear cross-entry doorway with 4-centred arch. An upper floor and attics were inserted, together with a chimney in the cross- entry, c.1600. A bakehouse/dairy cross-wing was added to the left hand end c.1600, with wind-braced clasped purlin roof. This wing reuses many major components from an open hall house of c.1400; the building may even be in-situ but remodelled. Mediaeval work includes part of an open truss, diamond mullioned windows and arch windbraced studding.

Listing NGR: TM1516754249