Flats 1 and 4, Bretaneby, with part of flat 5

This house has a 17th-century core, probably originally timber-framed but largely rebuilt in brick and extended in the 18th century, with further additions and alterations of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The listed parts of the building are occupied by flats 1 and 4, with a single room belonging to flat 5 being included. The late-19th-century part of the south-west wing (occupied by flats 2 and 3), and the early-20th-century addition (occupied by flat 5) at the east end of the northern range, are excluded from the listing. Also excluded from the listing are the boundary wall extending from the north-west corner of the north range, and the small late-20th-century extension enclosed by that wall and the north-west corner of the range (part of flat 1).

Materials and Construction

The building is constructed of red brick laid in Flemish bond on a stone plinth, with plain-tiled hipped roofs and brick stacks. The windows in the 18th-century part of the house have six-over-six timber sash frames; those to the ground floor may be 18th-century, with horned replacements to the first floor. The south-west wing (the majority of which is excluded from the listing) is also of brick, with pebbledash to the first floor, and timber sash window frames.

Plan and Layout

The building is now roughly L-shaped in plan, consisting of a rectangular range to the north, running along the south side of Seal High Street. This is thought to date from the 17th century originally, being largely rebuilt externally in the 18th century, with a canted bay to the west. Against the north-western face of the canted bay is a small single-storey extension, filling the corner of the boundary wall; both of these elements are excluded from the listing. There is a shorter parallel 18th-century range to the south. A wing extends southwards from the western end of the northern ranges; this was present by 1841, and was remodelled and extended in the late 19th century. The northern section is thought to retain some 18th-century fabric, but the southern section appears to have been entirely or largely rebuilt, and is excluded from the listing. The very late-19th-century/early-20th-century addition to the east of the house is also excluded from the listing.

Exterior Description

The north-facing elevation, representing the original part of the building, is five bays wide and two storeys high. The 18th-century frontage originally had a doorway to the second bay to the west. The elevation has tall window openings to each storey, with flat arches of gauged brickwork, the openings having flat arches, with replacement cills to the first floor. The first-floor windows to the westernmost bay, and the second bay to the west, have been blocked with brick, probably at some time in the early 20th century. The door opening in the second bay to the west has also been blocked, resulting in a section of the stone plinth having been filled with brick. A brick plat band runs between the storeys, rising to the west to allow for the drop in ground level. Historic mapping indicates a former porch or single-storey entrance block at the eastern end of the elevation, possibly of later date, in line with the frontage; this is confirmed by evidence of disturbance in the brickwork at ground-floor level, caused by its replacement by the very late-19th-century/early-20th-century single-storey infill block (now flat 5 and excluded from the listing). Above this, two brick stacks rise against the tile-hung east elevation of the 18th-century house.

On the west elevation, the 18th-century range is terminated by a canted bay, with large window openings to the first floor, having scalloped timber pelmet boxes originally for external blinds. The central ground-floor window opening shows signs of some alteration. The north-western face is obscured at ground-floor level by the small extension, which is excluded from the listing. The south-western face is partially obscured by a later timber-framed porch, protecting the doorway (now the entrance to flat 1), with panelled double doors. The south-west wing extends from the south end of the canted bay; a set-back section between the two is now fronted by the porch.

The hipped 18th-century range running parallel to the south of the original range stands in the angle between this and the south-west wing. This range is three bays wide, with an entrance to the west (now the entrance to flat 4) fronted by a 19th-century timber porch with a tiled roof. The two eastern ground-floor bays are now occupied by a late-19th-century/early-20th-century bay window under a lean-to roof. On the first floor, the western window has been enlarged, probably in the late 19th century, and is now of tripartite form; the eastern windows retain their original form, with replacement horned sash frames and replacement cills. The eastern elevation is largely obscured by the excluded eastern addition.

The south-west wing, added to and remodelled in the late 19th century, appears to retain an earlier – probably essentially 18th-century – section to the north, with more extensive remodelling to the south, the whole being unified by an external treatment with brick to the ground floor, with a brick platband and quoins, and pebbledash above. This treatment is also applied to the set-back section behind the porch. The ground-floor windows have cambered-arched openings; the first-floor windows openings, on narrow moulded cills, have flat arches. The roof has wide eaves supported on timber brackets. Only the northern section, stretching as far as and including the chimney stack, is included in the listing, and is of lesser interest externally. On the western elevation, the northern section has two irregularly-placed windows to the ground floor, and a pair of large windows to the first floor with pelmet boxes. On the east elevation, only the northernmost bay, with a single window at ground- and first-floor level, is included in the listing.

Interior Features

The ground floor areas of both the original, northern, range of the building, and the 18th-century range to the south, are now mainly occupied by flat 1, which also extends into the northern section of the south-west wing. The eastern bay of the north range is now occupied at ground-floor level by flat 5; apart from this room, flat 5 is excluded from the listing. The western part of the southern range is occupied by the entrance and stair to flat 4. Both the northern and the southern range, together with the northern section of the south-west range, are occupied at first-floor level by flat 4.

The eastern part of the 17th-century range contains a room with a substantial original ceiling, thought originally to have been a floored hall (now within flat 1), with the former parlour at the eastern end (now within flat 5). The hall ceiling consists of a central spine beam and transverse beam, now replaced by or encased in later timber, with ovolo-moulded transverse beams defining the room to west and east. Transverse joists are chamfered with step stops, the stops to either side of the spine beam being partially obscured by the later casing. This room retains 18th-century window shutters. The ceiling of the parlour to the east (within flat 5), thought originally to have been a parlour beyond the hall, is of similar form, though without the central spine beam; the eastern side of the ovolo-moulded beam is visible along the top of the western wall, but the other beams are encased. This room has a fireplace to the east, with what appears to be an Edwardian tiled surround.

The north-western section of the northern range (now within flat 1) has seen considerable rearrangement. The passage which originally led southwards from the northern doorway has been partitioned, following the blocking of the doorway, with the northern section being taken into the western room. This room has a fireplace to the west, with a 19th-century fire-surround, lacking its shelf. To the south, beside the passage, is a 19th-century cupboard with glazed doors fronting an alcove with shelving for china; a cupboard to the rear with a sloping ceiling suggests this was once the position of a stair, rising from the north. At the west end of the house, the additional canted bay lights a small room without other notable historic features; the northern window opening has been enlarged to create a doorway giving access to the small excluded extension.

Within the 18th-century range to the south, a doorway to the west gives access to the cellar, which extends under the 18th-century range, with a passage to a section below the western part of the northern 17th-century range. The external walling of the cellars is mostly of stone, with brick vaulting and storage bins; there is a blocked casement window in the southern wall, towards the western end, suggesting the former presence of an external basement area in this position. The eastern part of the southern 18th-century range is now occupied at ground-floor level by a large room lit by the late-19th-century/early-20th-century bay window; this has early-20th-century features including a chimneypiece and plate rail, whilst the cornice is probably earlier. The south-west portion of Flat 1 is within the later south-west range, comprising a kitchen, bathroom and utility room; this part of the building does not retain notable historic features and is of lesser interest.

The western part of the southern 18th-century range is now occupied at ground-floor level by the entrance hall and stairwell serving flat 4, which occupies the whole of the first floor. The open-well stair, which rises against the south and west walls to a landing running across the north part of the range, appears to be late-Victorian or Edwardian, with decorative brackets to the open strings, elaborate chunky newel posts and narrow turned balusters. It is thought that the stair, which is lit by the enlarged eastern first-floor window, is the result of reconfiguration, possibly replacing the stair in the northern part of the house. A passage runs the length of the north side of the 18th-century range, running eastwards from the landing, and continuing into the south-west wing, the transition at this point being marked by a beaded elliptical arch.

At the eastern end of the northern range, the easternmost bay is occupied by a room set at a slightly lower level, accessed by a small lobby cut out of the next room to the west, which occupies the next two bays. Neither room retains notable historic features. The western part of this northern range is occupied by the drawing room, now lit only by the bay window, the northern windows having been blocked. This room retains moulded cornice and skirting, possibly late-18th-century, as well as window surrounds and panelled shutters, the shutters no longer functional. The painted neoclassical chimneypiece in late-18th-century style may be a later addition; if original, the shelf appears to be later. The chimneypiece has a later marble insert and gas fire set within earlier marble slips.

The eastern end of the southern range has undergone considerable reconfiguration at first-floor level, and retains few historic features. The south-west portion of flat 4 is within the northern section of the south-west range; this area has been subdivided, but what appears to be a late-18th-century cornice remains in places, together with a later panelled frame linking the two western windows. There are large cupboards with panelled doors, one in the possible position of the former stair to the north, and one above the internal porch to the west. The roof over the northern range was not accessible; the roof over the southern range appears largely to retain its 18th-century form, with ridge-piece, collars and purlins, though it has undergone alteration and much replacement of timbers.

Subsidiary Features

To the west of the house is a tall wall, running northwards from the north-west corner of the building to the boundary of the property, and then continuing at a right angle parallel with the High Street, before turning at a south-westerly angle to enclose the entrance to the drive. The portion of the wall to the east of the drive is thought to be contemporary with the 18th-century rebuilding work to the house, and to have continued westwards to enclose the large gardens of the house; this part of the wall is included in the listing. The south/north stretch of the wall is built of brick, laid in loose Flemish bond, on a stone plinth. The brick continues to form quoins at the corner, and the top part of the eastern section of the east/west stretch, which is ramped, with capping bricks. The main body of the wall is of rubblestone, and rubblestone is the material used for the remainder of the wall, up to the fragmentary brick pier terminating the listed stretch running parallel with the road. The south-westerly stretch appears to be a development of post-1939, and is excluded from the listing.