Folly Farm including attached garden wall and former stables

Folly Farm, including attached garden wall and former stables

House, formerly farmhouse. The main range dates from the early 17th century, refronted to the south-east and south-west sides in the early to mid 18th century when an outshot to the north-west was added and the building re-roofed. In the early 19th century a lean-to extension and stable were added to the north-east. Most windows were replaced in the 19th and 20th centuries. The 20th century greenhouse attached to the south-west side is not of special interest.

Materials and Structure

The building is timber-framed, clad in brick, mainly in English bond, with a hipped peg tiled roof and an off-centre moulded brick chimneystack. The plan follows a lobby entrance house of three unequal bays, with the chimneystack within a narrow central bay and two heated rooms on ground and first floors. This plan was modified in the 18th century by the addition of an outshot to the north-west and in the early 19th century by a lean-to extension and single-storey stable addition to the north-east.

Exterior

The south-east or entrance front is of English bond brickwork. Two hipped dormers contain 19th century casement windows. The first floor has three irregularly-spaced windows with a blocked fourth opening visible above the porch. Two are large 19th century tripartite casements; the smaller end casement to the right has a 20th century top opening light. The ground floor has a similar window below and two large 19th century canted bay windows. The large porch is 20th century brick with a tiled gabled roof. Behind is a wide wooden architrave and an unusually wide 19th century door of nine panels. The east side of the south-eastern elevation is an early 19th century lean-to addition in stretcher bond brickwork with a cambered doorcase and casement window. The south-west side elevation, in English bond brickwork, has one 20th century casement.

The rear, or north-west, elevation has a catslide roof down to ground floor level with three windows: one an early 19th century nine-pane sash and two 20th century casements. There is a plain doorcase with flat hood.

A single-storey former stable in Flemish bond brickwork is attached to the north-east end of the house. This has a tiled roof, hipped to the north-west, and a sliding casement also to the north-west.

Attached to the front wall of the house, in line with the eastern hip, is a section of garden wall, also in English bond, running in a south-easterly direction. This is approximately seven or eight feet high adjoining the house, where there is a round-headed pedestrian entrance, then ramps down to approximately four feet in height.

Interior

Entrance is into a lobby in front of a winder staircase and chimneystack. The south-western ground floor room, originally the parlour, has a spine beam with a one and a half inch chamfer and lamb's tongue stops. There is a pine corner cupboard attached to the wall with moulded cornice and round-headed arch with serpentine shelves. The fireplace opening has a 20th century bressumer, but an earlier one may survive beneath.

The adjoining larger room, the original kitchen, has an early 17th century spine beam with a two-inch flat chamfer stopped by a quirk and tongue. There is a wide cambered brick arch to the fireplace, which also has a brick gabled spice hole. Adjoining the fireplace to the south-east is a four-panelled door with H-hinges leading directly onto the winder staircase. The opposite wall has a two-panelled door with H-hinges leading to the lean-to addition, which contains the exposed midrail and some upright posts of the original 17th century north-east wall and a 19th century wooden fireplace with duck's nest firegrate. The remainder of the north-east timber-framed wall with a blocked window opening is visible in the adjoining kitchen. There is also an early 19th century ledged door. The outshot contains the exposed midrail and some upright posts of the timber-framed north-eastern wall with some Flemish bond brick infill.

The winder staircase leads to both first floor and attic. The first floor north-east bedroom contains the timber-framed north-east wall exposed with upright posts and two ogee braces. The wallplate to the north-west wall is also visible, and the south-west wall has a jowled upright post, wallplate and wide fireplace bressumer visible. The central spine beam has been boxed-in. The south-west bedroom has a spine beam with run-out stop and a 19th century wooden fireplace. In the adjoining cupboard behind the chimneystack more upright timbers of the original north-west wall can be seen.

At the top of the stairs to the attic a 17th century timber-framed internal partition is visible, together with a plank door and the top of the massive 17th century brick chimneystack. The principal rafters, collars and purlins to the roof structure are visible, although the common rafters have been covered over. The north-east room has a secondary support to a collar beam.

The attached former stable has a roof of thin scantling with ridgepiece, collars, purlins and diagonal tension braces.

History

Before 1880 Folly Farm was a tenant farm of Hales Place. The original mansion was built for Sir Roger Manwood (1524/5–1592), a prominent Elizabethan judge. In 1675 the estate was bought by Sir Edward Hales, a Catholic convert and friend of James II. His grandson, Sir Edward Hales, began to build a new house, still unfinished when he died in 1802; the earlier house was demolished. In 1880 the main house was sold to become a Jesuit college and was demolished in 1928. A former dovecote, converted around 1884 to a Jesuit cemetery chapel, is all that remains of Hales Place. Around 1880 the estate buildings were sold off, and before 1905 Folly Farm was in the ownership of Mr Drury. Folly Farm has been in the ownership of one family since 1905.