The Close

The Close is a house built around 1850-1860, constructed of Flemish bond brick with a rear that is likely timber-framed and clad with peg-tile. It features brick stacks with original divided chimney shafts and some original chimney pots, topped with a slate roof.

The house has a double-depth plan and faces southeast towards the High Street. Inside, there are front and back rooms on either side of a central entrance hall and main stair. The left (southwestern) rooms are heated by an end stack, while an axial stack serves back-to-back fireplaces in the right rooms. A former service wing at the rear of the right end is now in separate ownership. The house is two storeys tall.

On the exterior, there is a symmetrical three-window front with large four-pane sashes, where the ground floor windows are taller. All windows have exposed timber cases, and the first-floor windows feature eared architraves. The central doorway, accessed by stone steps, is set in a recessed round-headed arch and contains a panelled door with a plain fanlight. The central bay slightly projects forward and is flanked by clasping buttresses. Additional features include a plinth, projecting brick bands at first-floor level across the recessed outer bays, and a wide flat hood above the doorway supported by moulded stucco consoles. The deep eaves have plain soffits, and the low-pitched roof at the front is hipped at both ends. At the rear, there are two parallel roofs at right angles to the front, both hipped to the rear. The left (southwestern) side facing Carpenters Lane has a symmetrical two-window front similar to the main front, but with rubbed brick arches over the windows.

The interior has not been inspected, but original joinery details are suspected. The Close is part of an attractive group of varied buildings at the western edge of Hadlow.