Hoad Farm

Hoad Farm

A farmhouse partly in Swingfield civil parish, dating from the 13th or early 14th century with alterations from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The building is constructed of flint with stone quoins and dressings, with 18th and 19th century brick dressings to the front elevation. The left gable end was rebuilt in the 20th century in banded flint and brick. The roof is of plain tiles.

The building comprises an open hall, probably of two bays, with a storeyed end bay to the left and probably also to the right. A further, probably contemporary section extends to the left, approximately half the width of the main range, with its rear wall continuous with that of the main range and with the principal rooms on the first floor. The structure is two storeys, with no visible plinth. The left section has a hipped roof to the left with similar-height eaves but a lower ridge than the main range. The main range has a steeply-pitched hipped roof with gablets.

There are two multiflue brick ridge stacks: one towards the left end of the main range and a smaller one towards the right end. The fenestration is irregular, comprising six windows: one broad, plain-chamfered pointed lancet towards the centre of the left section; two sashes towards the left end of the main range (one two-pane with margin lights, one four-pane); one sash with margin lights towards the centre; another to the right end; and one two-light casement under the right stack. A small chamfered rectangular stone ground-floor window (or undercroft window) sits under the lancet. The left end of the main range has a boarded door with a segmental head. Under the right stack is a door with two sunk panels behind a red brick porch with a tile-hung gable and plain tile roof. A lean-to with a tile-hung gable is located to the front part of the left gable end of the main range, partly obscuring the left section. A single-storey 19th century outbuilding of banded flint and brick with a gabled plain tile roof runs forwards from the lean-to.

On the rear elevation, a central first-floor lancet and small plain-chamfered rectangular ground-floor light are visible on the left section, opposite those on the front elevation. Another blocked or rectangular ground-floor light is towards the left gable end. A partly blocked first-floor window with plain-chamfered jamb and segmental head is towards the left (west) end of the main range. A short central flint-and-brick lean-to covers a low, pointed-arched plain-chamfered doorway virtually under the (later) stack and a taller pointed-arched doorway a few feet to its right, rebated for a door to the outer side and plain-chamfered to the inner side (possibly access to a non-existent stair turret). Just beyond the lean-to to the right (east) is a tall partly blocked trefoil-headed hall window breaking the storeys. To its right is a tall, blocked, pointed-arched doorway under the stack, probably to a cross-passage, and containing within it a rectangular 17th century chamfered brick window. A 20th century two-light casement is positioned to each floor towards the right end.

The interior contains stone corbels for the floor within the left section, which measures approximately 9 feet by 21 feet internally. A pointed-arched first-floor stone doorway, chamfered to the right side, is located towards the rear of the wall between the left section and main range. The left stack has a brick fireplace with a cambered bressumer to the ground floor on its left side, with a post to the front corner. The first-floor fireplace above is bolection-moulded, with a moulded mantelshelf and panelled overmantel with raised moulded surround. A brick fireplace in English bond is positioned to the right side of the right stack, with possibly re-used chamfered stone jambs and concealed wallpainting above it reading "IB". Chamfered cross and axial beams date to 1697 in the room between the stacks. The doors are panelled. The roof was not inspected.