Marston Hall And Outhouses With Donkey Wheel

House and outbuildings. Late 16th century, rebuilt and extended mid 18th century and mid 19th century. Red brick, coursed flint and timber framed, the main elevation rendered and tile hung. Plain tiled roofs, with slate roofed extension. Three storeys, the upper two tile hung with parapet to hipped roof and stacks to rear left and rear right. Regular fenestration of three glazing bar sashes on second floor, two tripartite and central single glazing bar sash on first floor, and two tripartite glazing bar sashes on ground floor. Central door of six panels with semi-circular fanlight in rendered surround. Projecting 19th century room to right with two glazing bar sashes on each face and basement openings. Two storey wing to right, red brick in English bond on flint and brick plinth, with plat band raised in places, and half hipped roof with large stack to left. Blocked door and window, both segmentally headed and moulded brick surround on right return. Rear elevation of flint with moulded brick weathering to plinth and some dressed stone blocks.

L-shaped one storey outhouses to rear, the range adjoining the house 18th century, but with brewhouse dating to around 1700 of irregular bond brickwork on flint plinth. 18th century range at right angles built on top of pre-existing boundary wall, with four boarded doors to various rooms.

Interior contains chamfered and stopped stone doorway and chalk lined cellars, extended by 18th century barrel vaulted cellar. The lower two storey wing probably served from the circa 1599 house. Simple late 18th century plaster cornice and friezes, and simple dogleg stair with unturned balusters and contemporary doors and fittings. The dining room contains a neoclassical fireplace and elliptical side arches. The study mantel is made of moulded 16th century beam incorporating a datestone found in the cellar reading IIM 1559, the initials and date of John and Isabella Marsh.

The outhouses were utilised largely for brewing and baking purposes, with much of the original layout and features surviving. These include the coalhouse or wood shed adjacent to the main oven, with domed bread oven, storage space around the stack for drying kindling material, iron meat racks, two coppers of 40 gallons and 90 gallons capacity, and stone salting sink. Leaden hand pumps drew water from an underground rain-fed tank. Lead pipes led directly from the brewhouse to the cellars, where the brew was originally fermented, casked and stored. A re-used stop chamfered tie beam and moulded dais beam are now used as wall plate.

In an adjacent building is the Donkey Wheel, mid 18th century, a fine structure in full working order with treadwheel. The cross-braces are reinforced with iron straps and chamfered and moulded. A winding drum sits over a now capped 260 feet deep well. Originally carrying an 80 gallon bucket, the water was dropped into a four foot square floor tank, and pumped thence either to the brewhouse or direct to cisterns in the attic of the main house to provide running water. Contemporary doors and fittings are present. The wheel supporting structure provides one wall structure of the outbuilding. The 18th century outhouse range includes original stores and dairy.

Originally a grange of Langdon Abbey, the house was purchased by the tenants on dissolution, the Marsh family. John Marsh rebuilt it about 1599, and James Jekens pulled down and rebuilt the house of stone and brick of no great antiquity around the 1750s.