Rugmer Hill Farmhouse

Rugmer Hill Farmhouse

A farmhouse of late 14th or early 15th century date, substantially altered in the late 16th or early 17th century and again in the 18th and 19th centuries. The building is timber-framed throughout, with ground floor painted brick, first floor rendered, and a left gable end weatherboarded to ground floor and tile-hung above. The roof is of plain tiles, half-hipped to the left and hipped to the right with a gablet.

The house is a Wealden type with an open hall of two timber-framed bays (the right bay slightly shorter than the left) and storeyed end bays. A single-bay left return addition dating from the 16th or early 17th century is now part of a lean-to. The structure comprises 2 storeys and a garret. A wooden cill on a stone plinth sits beneath the left hall bay, with brick plinths supporting the remainder of the building. The storeyed end bays feature underbuilt jetties to the front.

The roof structure displays arch-braced flying wall-plate with solid-spandrel bracket positioned under the central tie-beam end. Two further stub ties are tenoned between the inner and flying wall-plates, one towards the centre of each bay. The roof is steeply pitched.

Brick chimney stacks are a prominent feature: a red and grey brick stack rises from the eaves at the left end of the front elevation; a multiple red and grey brick stack occupies the front slope of the roof at the left end of the right hall bay; and a projecting red and grey brick stack stands at the right gable end.

Fenestration is irregular, comprising four wooden casements: one two-light to each end bay, one four-light to the left hall bay, and one single-light to the right hall bay. The principal entrance is marked by a plain-chamfered pointed-arched late 14th or early 15th century wooden doorhead with later jambs, a ribbed rectangular door, and a pointed-arched fanlight, positioned at the right end of the hall. A red and grey brick rear lean-to provides later extension.

Interior

The interior preserves extensive exposed timber framing including uncut cill-beams to partitions. An unusual single pointed-arched doorway with durns is set to the front side of the central stud of the plain right end-of-hall partition. The right end ground-floor room contains an axial beam with integral ledge supporting joist ends, with a later staircase positioned to the rear corner. The left end-of-hall beam is moulded and sits above a partition of broadly-spaced studs with daub infilling combed in a herringbone pattern. A jowled chamfered stud or post grooved for spear panel is located towards the rear end of this partition. The hall features a broad chamfered window-cill with a four-light diamond mullion window above. The left end ground-floor room has a chamfered axial beam with solid-spandrel bracket under each end, joists of heavy scantling, and a stair trimmer towards the rear wall.

The left end first-floor room contains mortices for a cross tie. The right end first-floor room has an arch-braced cross tie without crown-post. Chamfered wall-plates support the end bays. Tension-braced partitions occupy the right and left ends of the hall, the right end displaying a moulded tie-beam whose moulding continues as a cornice to the front and rear of both hall bays. Long shaped jowls characterise the principal posts. The central truss posts are moulded, supporting a cambered moulded tie-beam with fillet and heavy-scantling hollow-chamfered arch braces. A moulded crown post stands centrally, with plain end-of-hall crown posts, the right one flanked by daub and plaster partition with herringbone combing. A stop-splayed wall-plate scarf joint is evident.

Late 16th or early 17th century insertion includes a hall floor with chamfered axial beam and joists, and a similar attic floor. The roof over the left end bay was rebuilt with clasped purlins. The hall fireplace features bevelled stone jambs, brick back in English bond, and a long four-centred-arched bressumer. A later brick fireplace occupies the attic. Original boarded doors and broad floorboards survive. Diamond mullion ground-floor windows serve the late 16th or early 17th century rear addition. A stone well is present within the lean-to.