Moat Farmhouse

TM 06 NW BADWELL ASH WYVERSTONE ROAD

5/14 Moat Farmhouse

II

Former farmhouse. C15 and later. Timber-framed and rendered; old plaintiles to main roof, concrete plaintiles to rear wing. 2 storeys; 3-cell form to main range. Restored exterior. An internal chimney-stack with a plain red brick shaft, the top courses sloped inwards. Various casement windows, 2- light and 3-light, all small-paned. 6-panelled door, the top 2 panels glazed; large portico in Doric style. Basically a medieval house, with the entrance door still in the cross-entry position and the 2 bays of the open hall remaining. The cambered tie-beam of the open truss has mortices for long arched braces in its soffit and a mortice for a crown-post, removed to adapt the roof-space for storage, possibly in C18. Main posts chamfered and heavily jowled. The inserted ceiling in the hall has a main cross-beam, trimmers set skew, and large flat unchamfered joists, widely-spaced. An inserted 2-light ovolo-moulded mullioned window on the upper rear wall. To the left of the entry little evidence, apart from 'a 4-light diamond-mullioned window in the rear upper wall; timbers covered, roof inaccessible; possibly enlarged. Chimney-stack inserted against the end wall of the hall: 2 open fireplaces with plain timber lintels. To the right of the stack, an early C17 parlour replacement on an enlarged scale: roof with clasped and butt purlins. A low rear wing runs into this end of the house, and appears earlier in date: 1½ bays remain, with rough unchamfered medieval joists and evidence for a partition wall; some of the timbers may be reused. Latterly it was used as a dairy, and unglazed. The house stands on a fully moated site.

Listing NGR: TM0139268233