The Nursery

The Nursery is a house dating from around 1530, with alterations made in the late 16th century and around 1600. It was originally built with a two-cell end-chimney plan and a cross-entry, with a parlour cell added to the right, constructed in two stages. The house is one storey high with attics. It has a timber frame with plaster infill, and a thatched roof, half-hipped on the left side. The axial chimney is built of gault brick, with the shaft rebuilt in the mid-20th century. Mid-20th century gabled casement dormers and casement windows are present. A thatched lean-to entrance porch with a glazed door is located at the cross-entry. The timber framing is heavy and unmoulded, fully exposed. The original section, comprising a hall with a service cell to the left, shows signs of arched heads above the cross-entry doorway and the doorway to the single service room. It contains unchamfered large floor joists, and evidence in the studwork for a possible timber-framed chimney. The parlour cell, initially single-bayed, was added to the right in the mid-to-late 16th century and extended to two bays shortly thereafter. The final phase of construction features close studding, and all phases demonstrate evidence of diamond-mullioned windows, with some original mullions remaining. The original roof has a coupled-rafter form, while the later roof utilizes clasped purlins. A small service wing, projecting slightly to the front left, was added in the 17th century.