Dowd'S Farmhouse

HEDGE END

1009/0/10021 BOTLEY ROAD 02-JUL-02 Dowd's Farmhouse

II

Farmhouse. Circa early C17; altered circa early C19; extended circa mid C19. Timber-frame walls faced or partly rebuilt in brick, painted at front; extended in red brick. Asbestos tile roof with half-hipped ends. Brick axial stack. PLAN: 4-room plan front [S] range, left [W] room added later. Central hall with fireplace in axial stack on right and unheated service room to left [W]; another unheated room on right now served by fireplace built into back of hall stack. In about the mid C19 a large extension was built at the rear. EXTERIOR: 2 storeys. Asymmetrical 3-window south front; boarded up casement windows; doorway to right of centre with plank door and later gabled porch; roof of right bay is slightly lower. At rear [N] a tall 2-storey red brick extension with sash windows and French casement on ground floor. INTERIOR: Hall has exposed wall-framing, is ceiled and has large fireplace with heavy timber bressumer, simple circa early C19 chimneypiece and blocked by old cupboards and C20 tiled chimneypiece. In framed partition on west side of hall two cranked-head doorways, one to service room with exposed closely-spaced unchamfered joists and exposed wall-framing and the other doorway to straight staircase. Hall chamber has exposed timber-framing, chamfered axial beam on carved wooden corbels and fireplace with cambered timber bressumer and Georgian cast-iron grate. Roof-space inaccessible. Old plank doors, one with cover-moulds. Rear extension has staircase with stick balusters and turned newels, panelled doors, window shutters and Victorian chimneypieces. Dowd's Farmhouse is an interesting 3-room plan early C17 timber-framed house with a large mid C19 brick extension at the rear.