Pigeon Hoo

Pigeon Hoo is a timber-framed house of late medieval date, probably 15th century and possibly early 15th century, originally built as a farmhouse. It stands on Preston Lane on the west side.

The original structure is timber-framed on a stone plinth, featuring the characteristic wide "Kentish" framing with widely spaced studs and curved braces typical of the period. The south front has been partially refronted in brick in English bond at ground floor level. The building is distinguished by a three-storey timber-framed stair tower to the north with brick nogging and steeply pitched tiled roof, crowned by an off-centre tall ribbed brick chimneystack.

The house was originally built as an open hall house of Wealden type with two unequal central open hall bays and projecting first floor end bays, service end to the west and solar end to the east. The plan shows wide "Kentish" framing visible on the ground floor of the eastern part and first floor of the recessed centre, with curved corbel supporting the massive central truss and plastered infill. The projecting first floors of the end bays are clad in weatherboarding.

During the mid 17th century, the house was substantially adapted. A chimneystack was inserted into the smaller western bay of the open hall, the open hall was ceiled over at both first floor level and above to form garrets, and the three-storey stair tower was added to the north to access the upper floors. Catslide extensions were also added to the north and east at this time.

The south or entrance front displays irregular windows including 19th-century casement windows with leaded lights, three smaller windows in the upper floor of the recessed centre, and a two-storey 20th-century square bay of traditional type inserted into the centre of the eastern former open hall bay. A 16-pane sash window lights the ground floor western bay. A 19th-century brick porch with hipped tiled roof and ribbed plank door was added at this time. The west side has visible framing with diagonal braces to the first floor and brick ground floor, substantially concealed by a 20th-century bay, with a small first floor mullioned window with leaded lights. The north or rear elevation is dominated by the three-storey stair turret, almost in line with the chimneystack, timber-framed with brick infill including herringbone brickwork, with a small casement window to each floor. Two gabled dormers and the catslide roof extend either side of the staircase tower. The east side has a gabled dormer with three-light casement, though the catslide extension is largely obscured by a one-storey 20th-century brick extension in stretcher bond.

Internally, the western ground floor room, originally the service end, has exposed floor joists of square section and retains a brick fireplace with wooden bressumer, dating from when the room became a parlour in the 17th century. The central room comprises the original open hall with the inserted chimney. The large open fireplace retains a wooden bressumer with mid-19th-century brackets and shelf. The 17th-century spine beam is roll-moulded with a quirk and runout stop. The south wall retains a blocked 17th-century wooden mullioned window, and early 19th-century built-in drawers form a dresser. The eastern room has exposed floor joists of square section and a small blocked mullioned window in the south wall. The north outshot preserves the original rear wall, timber-framed on stone plinth with brick paved floor.

The first floor displays exposed timber framing including the central truss with massive elbowed arched braces and jowled posts, features of unusual architectural interest. The western bedroom has a 17th-century spine beam with a two-inch chamfer with lamb's tongue stop and quirk, and a brick fireplace with wooden bressumer. The eastern room retains an unglazed window opening, blocked when the 17th-century east outshot was added.

The staircase between first floor and attics retains original treads, square newel post and rails to landing, with hipped roof structure featuring clasped purlins and pegged rafters. The roof contains a crownpost structure of considerable interest: the central post is approximately six feet high, octagonal and chamfered with tongued stops and roll-moulding to the chamfers, supporting three head braces to the collar (originally four before a partition was inserted). The other two crownposts are of square section, each with a curved head brace to the collar. Part of the tie beam to the north was removed in order to insert a plank door into the western attic room. A few rafters adjoining the staircase tower are original, though otherwise covered over. The roof is reported to consist of common rafter trusses joined with a scarfed lap joint at the apex.

The house may originally have been served by a wharf on a branch of the nearby channel now called the Tenterden Sewer, similar to nearby Small Hythe to the south of Tenterden.

The 19th century saw partial refronting of the south front, the addition of a south porch and some internal alterations. 20th-century single-storey additions include a 1930s large bay window to the west, cloakroom addition to the north-west, and housekeeper's accommodation and offices to the east, which are not of special architectural interest.

The building is of particular importance as a timber-framed late medieval former open hall house of Wealden type, remarkable for the unusually massive elbowed braces to the central truss and tall crownposts, the central one with its distinctive chamfered octagonal form. The conversion in the 17th century into a lobby entrance house through the insertion of a chimneystack, ceiling over of the open hall bays, and addition of the three-storey staircase tower demonstrates important changes in domestic planning and heating. Further features of interest include the original 17th-century mullioned windows to the staircase tower, blocked mullioned windows, staircase details, and fireplaces.