Hall Farm House

Hall Farm House, dating from around 1400, was likely originally part of a larger house or possibly a court hall. It may have been built for Sir W. Burgate. The property was probably partially demolished and reordered in 1587 for W. Morys, following a lease and instructions from Sir N. Bacon. Later alterations and extensions occurred in the late 19th century.

The house is timber-framed, with plaster and red brick additions, and has a steeply pitched plain tiled roof. It is a long, narrow, seven-bay range, with two narrower bays towards the centre containing the current entrance, and a suggestion of original cross passages, stairs, or smoke bays at the original left end. The layout has been adapted to a three-cell lobby entry plan, with a rear extension. The building is unusually tall, featuring two storeys with a continuous jetty at both the front and rear.

On the ground floor, the entrance is to the right of the centre, featuring a four-panelled door with a segmental headed fanlight, and a 19th-century tiled gabled hood supported by curved brackets. Flanking this are large three-light metal glazing bar casements. A service bay to the left has French windows. All ground floor windows have hoodboards. The jetty is supported by 19th-century moulded bressumers on shaped and pierced brackets. The first floor contains three three-light glazing bar casements. Eaves are boxed.

Two inserted ridge stacks, dating from the 19th century, have sawtooth diagonal shafts with oversailing caps. The stack to the left was originally external but is now incorporated within a 19th-century brick addition. A right-end lean-to outshut is also present. Gable end bargeboards are visible.

Rear additions from the 19th century consist of two full-height gabled wings at the ends, projecting further than the two-storey central lean-to. This lean-to has a boarded door to the right, two-light segmental headed casements, and first-floor windows including a three-light segmental headed stair window. One wing has a ground floor three-light segmental headed casement, while the other has a further lean-to outshut.

Inside, the continuous rear jetty features original large, curved brackets supporting very tall storey posts. Much of the timber frame is concealed, except for a stop-chamfered binding beam and jowled storey posts at the service end. The roof is a crown post roof: two open trusses, spanning the nominal hall and parlour, have octagonal crown posts with moulded caps and bases. One post has a brattished cap. Four-way arched braces are present, proportioned large relative to the posts. Four closed trusses have square crown posts, four-way arch braced, with lateral braces removed. Queen struts extend from cambered tie beams to collars, and king struts from collars to ridge. A splayed scarf jointed collar purlin is present. There is no smoke blackening and side purlins have been added.

The house’s position at the front of a moated enclosure suggests the presence of a range positioned at a right angle to the northwest, or to the rear from the left end.