Digges Court

DIGGES COURT, WESTWELL, CHARING LANE

A house, formerly a manor house. A building has occupied this site since the reign of Edward III, as recorded by Edward Hasted, though the present structure retains the remains of a late medieval hall-house with some 16th-century brickwork and two chimneys probably added by Sir Dudley de Digge, Master of the Rolls to Elizabeth I. A late 17th-century L-shaped wing extends to the south west, and early 19th-century service buildings were added to the north.

The building is constructed of red brick with some grey headers, built partly in English bond and partly in Flemish bond. The roof is tiled, hipped to the south west and north east, gable-ended to the south east with tile hanging in the gable. Two late 16th-century ribbed clustered brick chimney stacks rise two storeys with attics. The plan is L-shaped with a cellar.

The south west wing, dating from the late 17th century, features three hipped dormers, three wooden cross casements, a wide wooden modillion eaves cornice, moulded brick stringcourses, and a deep moulded brick plinth. In the angle of the L sits a wooden doorcase originally from a London town house, with engaged Ionic columns, a round-headed doorcase with keystone and a six-panelled flush door. The south west front has an early 20th-century brick and glazed porch. The north west front is of English bond brickwork with two cambered arched windows. The south east wing contains some 16th-century English bond brickwork and terminates what was a longer medieval range; it has a wooden cross casement facing south west. Attached to the north is an L-shaped early 19th-century range of single-storey brick and tiled service buildings, with an attached section of wall in English bond.

Interior features of considerable importance survive. The south west wing retains the dais beam to the former open hall, displaying a deep curve, roll moulding and triangular stop. Above is a truss with tie beam having a two-inch chamfer and run-out stop, two arched braces and kingpost, and a section of wall framing is visible with curved tension brace. The south east wing contains a late 17th-century cellar with a small gabled alcove, probably for lanterns.

The ground floor dining room, positioned where the late medieval solar once stood, preserves late 17th-century pine panelling with dado rail, bolection-moulded architrave to the door, and a bolection-moulded fireplace. The painted late 17th-century mantelpiece displays a Flemish or Dutch scene, possibly allegorical, depicting a church, bridge with swans, a house, a tree with an enormous owl, and figures. The hall contains a late 17th-century oak well staircase with twisted baluster ball finials and pendants. A three-panelled door to the lounge is set in a bolection-moulded surround and is flanked by two late 17th-century Dutch-style paintings of tulips and roses with an urn. Above is a late 17th-century overmantel showing a castle, lake and a man with a clay pipe fishing. The drawing room has L-hinges on the reverse of this three-panelled door, a bolection-moulded pine fireplace, and an oak axial beam with a four-inch chamfer. A large bedroom on the fourth landing has a two-panelled door. The first-floor bedroom, apparently the principal bedroom, features a two-panelled door with strapwork painted decoration, a bolection-moulded door, and a late 17th-century painted overmantel depicting a hunting scene with an alehouse, a man shooting pheasants, and a dog chasing a hare. The reverse of this door bears an overmantel painted with a timber-framed building, bridge, church and ducks on a pond. Another door on the same wall, possibly originally leading to a powder closet or dressing room, has a late 17th-century painted overmantel showing a windmill, church with spire and a man in waders; between the two doors is a bolection-moulded pine fireplace. Two rooms have wooden fireplaces with fragments of 17th-century carvings—one a flat fish, the other a mermaid. The attic storey has two plank doors. The roof structure dates from the late 17th century.