Spring House

SPRING HOUSE

House dating from circa late 15th or early 16th century origins, remodelled and partly rebuilt around the early 17th century, with some late 20th century alterations. The building is of framed construction with the ground floor partly underbuilt and nogged with brick. The rear elevation of the main block is tile-hung to the first floor. A framed wing stands on a ragstone rubble plinth, underbuilt in brick and tile-hung to the first floor, with a peg-tile roof and brick stack.

The house faces east and is set back from the road. The main block has a rear outshut and comprises three bays with a crosswing at the south end. The building began as a late medieval three-room and cross passage house with the higher end to the north, featuring an open hall and storeyed ends. The higher end was jettied on the north side. In the early 17th century, the hall was floored over and an axial stack was inserted in the cross passage with back-to-back fireplaces heating both the old hall and the new crosswing. This crosswing replaced the medieval lower end. The crosswing features a 17th century oriel window to the east and an unheated service room to the west, and may have functioned as a parlour wing with the old hall subsequently re-used as the kitchen, though the moulded fireplace lintel to the inserted stack in the hall suggests a superior status. The position of the 17th century entrance is unclear as the inserted stack blocks the old passage. The present entrance is a late 20th century creation formed by dismantling the crosswing fireplace. The house was divided into two cottages by 1952 but is now reunited as one house.

The two-storey main block has an asymmetrical east-facing front, with the south wing rising to two storeys and attic. The east end of the crosswing forms the left side, with one window only to the main block. The larger left-hand bay of the main block preserves exposed tension braces of large scantling. The main block roof is hipped and gabletted at the right end; the crosswing roof is half-hipped to the front. An axial stack with staggered shafts and moulded cornices runs through the building.

Original early 17th century oriel windows survive to the ground and first floor of the crosswing, coved out with ovolo-moulded oak mullions—five-light to the ground floor, four-light to the first floor, with a two-light attic window. The crosswing also preserves 17th century windows on the left return: two three-light ovolo-moulded mullioned windows to the east (the first floor window blocked externally) and a first floor three-light window with chamfered mullions to the west. The main block has two three-light casements to the centre bay, with the ground floor window probably 18th century. A 20th century tile-hung lean-to porch is present. The right-hand bay of the main block preserves its ground floor framing and the underbuilt jetty is visible on the right return. The roof is carried down as a catslide to the rear outshut. A late 20th century conservatory addition extends to the rear.

The interior is rich in early carpentry. Exposed ceiling beams and joists survive to the ground floor rooms. The joists to the north end cell are late medieval but have mostly been reset with trimmers for two former staircases. The centre ground floor room has 17th century joists, some removed, and a partly-blocked 17th century fireplace with one moulded stone jamb exposed and a moulded oak lintel. The crosswing is separately framed from the main block beyond a ceiling beam with redundant mortises for the joists of the late medieval service end. The crosswing sill on the south side is a re-used timber. The partition between the two rooms has been removed but the 17th century doorframes to its former paired doors on the north side survive. A probably 18th century dog-leg stair with a shaped finial to the newel post rises in the outshut to the rear of the axial stack, with a balustrade in rustic Chinese Chippendale style probably of early 19th century date. On the first floor the steep oak stair to the attic is 17th century, its bottom step a solid timber baulk. Part of the frame of the medieval doorway survives.

The late medieval common rafter roof survives over the main range with a rough wattle and daub partition to the apex between the medieval open hall and storeyed north end. The roof sits on jowled wall posts and is heavily sooted over the hall, with the partition sooted on the hall side. The rafter couples have halved collars and are not of massive scantling. One rafter couple close to the inserted stack has a single mortise for a brace on the soffit, possibly associated with smoke escape before the stack was built. The crosswing has a clasped purlin roof with re-used rafters.

This is a complex evolved house with an interesting medieval roof.