Old Hall

WOKEFIELD

1822/0/10001 GORING LANE 15-AUG-03 Grazeley Green Old Hall

II Late C17 timber-framed former farmhouse with rendered brick infill panels and old plain tile roofs; painted and rendered brick additions.

PLAN: The house is apparently built in three distinct phases, the earliest being the gable-fronted range aligned north-south with the slightly taller 2-storey with gable-lit attic east-west range added shortly afterwards. At right angles to the rear (south) of the east-west range is a gabled addition, probably of late C18 or early C19 date, running parallel with and linked by a valley gutter to the rear section of the north-south range, thus creating the impression of an M-shaped range; further small catslide lean-to addition to west elevation of north-south range.

EXTERIOR: Front (north) elevation has square panel timber-framing to both ranges with straight braces from wall-posts to tie beam of north-south range, which has exposed queen-post truss to gable with single-purlin ends and curved struts from collar to principal rafters. East-west range has two 2-light casements (each light with six panes) to left on first floor and two on ground floor (left of three lights) to left of C20 gabled porch with similarly styled glazing to front and sides and fictive timber framing; similar 2-light casements located within timber frame to centre of gable on both ground and first floors. Substantial external brick stack to east gable end of east-west range, which has similar pattern of timber framing as to front range; prominent lateral external stack to west elevation of north-south range with small windows to each side. Rear elevation has similar irregular fenestration pattern as to front and sides with bracketed tile projections over the windows in the gable end of north-south range and the C20 French window in the gable end of the C18/19 addition, which has truncated base of chimney stack immediately to left.

HISTORY: Tithe Map (c.1840) shows the house formerly to have been a farmhouse (Berkshire Record Office).