Pates Manor

Pates Manor is a complex timber-framed building with phases of construction spanning the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries. The main range dates back to approximately 1500, the South wing to around 1530, with an earlier section in the Northeast range from the 15th century and a Northeast range from the 17th century.

The architectural style is characterized by a two-story design with an overhanging gabled cross wing on the South side displaying exposed post-and-panel timber framing with elaborate timbering in the gable top. The South front exhibits a roof in two heights and features sash and casement windows. A 17th-century wooden oriel window with carved brackets is present on the first floor, now partially concealed by weatherboarding. A double brick stack of Jacobean character with a breast to the left is also prominent. A 19th-century gabled wooden porch with an old escutcheon bearing the arms of Christ's Hospital sits to the right of the stack. A canted wooden sash bay with glazing bars and a hipped roof extends to the right. The remainder of the front displays sash windows and a coved eaves line. A brick chimney breast located at the West end features two shafts with oversailing capping, likely dating to around 1540. A newly exposed 16th-century two-light wooden window with iron stanchions and modern leaded lights is visible on the ground floor. A matching porch is located in the center of the front. The North front features a gabled end with elaborate timber framing. The roof is tiled.

The interior reveals numerous recently exposed features, including a panelled screen to a service passage and exposed ceiling timbers in many ground-floor rooms. A Southern ground-floor room boasts a four-centred headed stone fireplace likely dating to around 1540. The room above, previously the solar, retains oak panelling and a four-centred headed stone fireplace. A room to the North contains a single-panelled wall and various exposed timbers, while another room to the North has internally exposed old wood-framed windows.

Historically, the property was the home of the Pate family from 1403–1404, followed by the Page family, who emigrated to Williamsburg, Virginia, in the 17th century. The manor also served as lodgings for both Royalist and Cromwellian troops during the Civil Wars. The house is set within partly walled gardens, including cedar trees and slight remains of a parterre. Restoration work was ongoing in 1968.