Walnut Tree Farmhouse

Walnut Tree Farmhouse is a large farmhouse with a half-H plan, built in four phases between the mid-15th century and the mid-16th century. It stands on the Main Road in Henley. The building is timber-framed and plastered, with a plaintiled roof featuring 19th-century serpentine bargeboards. Red brick axial chimneys are present, with the central stack in the hall range having a 16th-century saw-tooth patterned shaft. The farmhouse mainly features 19th-century small-pane sash windows, and has a 20th-century single-storey entrance porch with a plaintiled roof and a panelled inner door.

The building's construction occurred in several stages. Initially, a 2-bay hall of around 1450 was built, now located behind the service range. This section displays tension-braced close-studwork, and a heavily smoke-blackened crown-pose roof. Originally there was a cell at the rear; this may have been used as a kitchen or bakehouse for the subsequent larger house. Around 1500, a 2-cell, 4-bay service range was added, featuring plain but heavy framing, arch-braced close-studwork, and an unmoulded crownpost roof. Some blocked diamond-mullioned windows are present in this range, which was later detached from the main house and now has these windows as internal features.

A 3-bay solar cross-wing, built around the same time but initially detached, is of a high quality. This wing has very close studwork, and retains open trusses, although the original crown posts are absent. A blocked window has heavily moulded mullions, each light having a small arched head with sunk spandrels. This solar wing was attached to a hall range that was later demolished to make way for the fourth phase.

The final phase involved rebuilding the hall range around 1550-1570. This range contains a hall and parlour of high quality, with back-to-back fireplaces. The parlour features roll-moulded beams and joists, and blocked moulded mullioned windows. The roof is constructed with wind-braced clasped-purlins.

Attached to the rear wall is a limestone headstone, originally from a nearby meadow. The headstone marks the grave of a horse which, according to the inscription, served its master in several battles in Europe during the Napoleonic wars before retiring to the farm. The building is designated as a Grade II* listed building due to it being a good example of the development of a prosperous farmer’s house between the 15th and 16th centuries.