Church Farmhouse

Church Farmhouse, Browninghill Green, Baughurst

This is a timber-framed farmhouse of early 17th-century origin, with a 18th-century stair tower and 19th-century re-fronting. The building is constructed of timber-frame with brick and tile roof, and features tile-hanging to parts of the exterior.

The house is a detached two-storey structure built to a lobby-entry plan, with three rooms on each floor arranged around a central entrance. A longitudinal corridor runs beneath an outshut to the rear, and a separate stair tower was added at a later date. The principal south elevation displays a rendered ground floor and tile-hung first floor, with wooden casement windows throughout. The pitched tiled roof runs west and is half-hipped to the east, with an off-centre chimney stack on the ridge. Two entrances, both protected by wooden gable storm porches, pierce this elevation, with the main entrance being the westerly of the two.

The rear north elevation features a cat-slide roof descending almost to ground floor level. An off-centre timber-framed gabled stair tower projects from this elevation, with a rear entrance beneath its gabled roof. The side elevations reveal the original timber-framing, particularly on the east where wall posts, tie beams and curved braces are visible. The west elevation was rebuilt in brick beneath the wall-plate, with brick-nogging throughout.

Inside, the south-west entrance opens into a small lobby set against an off-centre fireplace, with evidence suggesting the original door was secured by a bar. The living room lies west of the fireplace, whilst the dining room and kitchen occupy the eastern side. The rear corridor beneath the outshut connects to a scullery and bathroom at either end. A straight staircase in the later stair tower provides access to three bedrooms above the ground floor rooms.

The timber frame is evident throughout, featuring large panel-framing. The dining room east wall shows later work, probably of late 18th or early 19th-century date. Substantial portions of the frame survive in the south wall, demonstrating that the 19th-century re-fronting is largely superficial. Notable internal features include a substantial chamfered cross beam in the living room, supported on a carved bracket dating to the mid-17th century, and a further chamfered longitudinal beam. A shared back-to-back fireplace serves the living and dining rooms; both have been modified, though the dining room fireplace indicates more closely the scale of the originals. Simple plank doors mostly date to the early 19th century, though some earlier examples survive, such as the northern living room door. Re-used panelling appears in the staircase. The bedrooms retain exposed timber-framing including straight and curved wind-braces.

The precise date of construction is not documented, but architectural evidence indicates early 17th-century origin. Prior to the construction of the stair tower in the 18th century, access to the upper rooms likely involved a ladder or simple ladder stair. The 19th-century re-fronting included tile-hanging and rendering of the south elevation and the insertion of wooden casements.