Columbine Hall

Columbine Hall is a major fragment of a manor house, now a farmhouse, dating to the late 14th century or around 1400, with alterations around 1600. The building is constructed of flint rubble up to first-floor level, with quoins and patching of 18th and 19th century red brick, and the flintwork is painted from ground to first floor. The upper storey is timber-framed and plastered, jettied on the north and west sides over a moat, with exposed joist ends and a corner post with a moulded and embattled capital. The bressumer is moulded on the north side and covered on the west. The roof is plaintiled.

The building comprises two two-storey ranges rising sheer from an approximately square moat at its north-west corner. The west elevation features a blocked former carriage entrance, which would have been approached by a bridge over the west arm of the moat, now marked by flanking knees beneath the jetty. Most windows are small-pane casements, although some have leaded glazing. A small gabled porch-like projection, added around 1600, occupies the re-entrant angle of the courtyard elevation, and originally contained an entrance doorway. Adjacent to this is an early 19th century lean-to extension of gault brick and slated construction, with a six-panelled entrance door.

An axial early 17th century chimney constructed of red brick features a sawtooth shaft, and there are two internal 19th century chimneys. The interior contains massive late 14th century timber-framing members, including cambered tiebeams with unchamfered broad knee-braces and studding with ogee-curved external windbracing, mainly concealed. Detail includes splayed scarf jointing with undersquinted butts. The roof is a coupled-rafter roof, remodelled with clasped purlins in the 17th century. At the first storey is a blocked original doorway with a chamfered two-centred arch. The carriage entrance is knee-braced, and may have served as a secondary access point. A well staircase dating to around 1600 features good turned balusters and newels with ball finials. One chamber contains an early 17th century oak overmantel with arcading and a frieze, although the fire surround is of early 19th century design. A single bay block at the east end of the north range is lower and has a coupled-rafter roof, potentially original or dating to the 17th century. It contains a fragment of an early 17th century plaster ceiling with a vinescroll frieze, depicting one of a group of angels, and formerly displaying fleurs-de-lys; the room was traditionally known as a chapel. A timber-framed gable within the roof space is filled with narrow pink bricks of late 16th century appearance, suggesting possible concealed bricknogging. A set-forward late 19th century range of red and gault brick extends from the courtyard side.