Rookyard Farmhouse

WETHERDEN BASE GREEN TM 06 SW

4/208 Rookyard Farmhouse -

-- II*

Farmhouse, late C15 or early C16 with remodelling of late C16. Probably a 3- cell open hall house, with two cross-wings. The hall range one storey and attics; cross-wings 2 storeys. Timber-framed and plastered; both cross-wings are end-jettied at the front on brackets. Plaintiled roofs; an axial chimney, the shaft rebuilt in late C18 or C19 red brick. A chimney to rear of right hand wing has a plastered sawtooth shaft of c.1600. The hall has a gabled plaintiled dormer with mid C20 casements. Various C19 and C20 casements; one C18 1st floor window in left wing. 4-panelled C19 entrance door, the upper panels glazed. The right hand cross-wing is probably of c.1500: a 2-bay parlour with solar above. At the open truss is a cambered tie beam with massive hollow-chamfered archbraces rising from polygonal shafts. Plain but heavy crownpost roof. The central crownpost of rectangular section has 2-way braces and a heavy collar beneath the collar-purlin, tying a pair of principal rafters - an unusual detail in Suffolk. To rear of this wing is a lower block added in late C16 with clasped purlin roof. The internal chimney here of c.1600 has part of a newel staircase. The hall has a 1st floor with a massive early C16 roll-moulded bridging beam and moulded joists; possibly an original feature, (c.p. New Bells Farmhouse, Haughley, Item 4/91). There was once a large fireplace backing against a cross-entry at the left hand end. Side purlin roof of c.1600. A lower 2-bay range to rear of the left hand wing is original, with similar plain crownpost roof (the front section of this wing was rebuilt in late C16: good windbraced clasped-purlin roof, unchamfered floor joists, a lintelled open fireplace and a blocked ovolo-mullioned window).

Listing NGR: TM0151863380