Nightingale Farmhouse

Nightingale Farmhouse

Farmhouse of 14th or early 15th-century origin, with 16th-century alterations, 17th-century addition, and 19th and 20th-century facade changes. The building is timber-framed throughout.

The main range presents a rendered front, with the left gable end showing painted brick on the ground floor and tile-hanging above, whilst the right gable end has darkened weatherboarding. The 17th-century addition features painted brick in Flemish bond to the ground floor, with tile-hanging to the left side and front of the first floor and rendering to the right side. The roof is covered in plain tiles.

The structural form comprises the left bay of a former quasi-aisled open hall, with an integral two-storey, two-bay cross-wing to the left, flush with the front wall of the open hall and stopping just short of the rear arcade post. The gap between the cross-wing and the rear wall of the hall is infilled with a two-storey aisle or stairhead to the rear gable end of the cross-wing, probably integral to the original construction or possibly resulting from a slightly later contraction of the cross-wing. The hall aisle wall-plates were raised to the same height as the cross-wing aisle, probably by the 17th century, without contraction of the aisles. The 17th-century addition comprises two timber-framed bays and a stack bay running forward from the front gable end of the cross-wing, extending slightly further left than the cross-wing and overlapping the hall. The front aisle wall-plate was raised to full two-storey height and the ridge was also raised, probably after the 17th century. The main range rises two storeys; the 17th-century addition is two storeys with a garret. A painted brick plinth runs along the main range. The 17th-century addition has an underbuilt jetty to its long left side. The front eaves of the main range align with the wall-plate of the long left side of the left cross-wing, whilst the rear eaves align with the wall-plate of the rear aisle of the cross-wing. The cross-wing roof is hipped to the rear, carried down to the aisle wall-plate and returned along the rear of the hall. The main range is gabled to the right, with a very short section at the right gable end covering the former central hall truss, retaining a lower ridge and evenly-pitched roof. The 17th-century addition has a slightly higher eaves and ridge than the left cross-wing, with a gabled roof. A multiple brick ridge stack stands at the rear end of the 17th-century addition, and a brick ridge stack sits at the right gable end of the main range.

Fenestration comprises one two-light attic casement to the gable of the 17th-century addition and irregular fenestration of two three-light casements—one to the gable end of the 17th-century addition and one to the main range—each with a similar ground-floor casement beneath. The first-floor sides of the 17th-century addition are unfenestrated. A ribbed door opens to the right end of the front gable end of the addition, and a boarded door with flat bracketed hood sits under the main-range stack. A lean-to, set back from the front gable end and rendered to the front with weatherboarding to the right side, has a plain tile roof and boarded door to the front.

Interior

The interior contains partly exposed framing. A base-cruck truss to the former centre of the open hall has unjointed blades. The plain-chamfered rear blade retains the original aisle wall-plate trenched across the back of the elbow, with an arcade plate trenched across the apex of the blade. A plain-chamfered arch brace to the tie-beam follows normal assembly. The present aisle wall-plate, of lighter scantling, is carried on studs tenoned into the lower plate. The base of the front base-cruck blade and arch-brace are visible, as are some aisle wall-posts.

The cross-wing features cross joists to the aisle and to the rear half of the rear bay, with axial joists to the front half of the bay (possibly with a stair trimmer) and to the front bay. There is possible evidence for a former front gable-end jetty and for a partition between the aisle and rear bay. The first floor of the cross-wing has long shaped jowls to the end principal posts, a gunstock jowl aligned with the wall to the central truss, and a cambered arch-braced central tie-beam. The rear aisle has gunstock jowls and cambered chamfered tie-beams.

Remains of a 16th-century timber stack stand at the right end of the former left hall bays, with a low cross beam pegged to the left side of the rear base-cruck blade and supporting an angled strut with remains of a daub flue-wall. A further cross beam, possibly associated with the timber stack, is tenoned to the lower aisle wall-plate about five feet left of the base-cruck truss, with a pegged stud beneath. An inserted hall floor has unbevelled axial joists tenoned to the cross beam.

The 17th-century addition contains one two-bay room with a chamfered cross beam and tenoned axial beams to each floor. Principal posts of large scantling have chamfered gunstock jowls. A panelled door to the stairs sits to the right of the stack. The ground floor has a brick fireplace with a cambered bressumer. The first floor has a small fireplace with a moulded surround, a panel carved with a scrolled motif, a pulvinated frieze above the panel, and a moulded mantel-shelf. A fireplace, blocked in the late 17th century or 18th century, stands between the cross beam and the base-cruck truss in the hall, with a ragstone base, brick dressings and a wooden bressumer.

The 17th-century addition roof has side-purlins with windbraces, ceiled above the collar, and contains mortices for a four-light diamond mullion front attic window. The remainder of the roof was not inspected.

Comparatively few base-cruck trusses have been recorded in Kent. A related example appears at Benover Road, Burnt Oak.