Old Place

Old Place

Former farmhouse dating from the late medieval period, probably late 15th century, with 16th and 17th century improvements and early 20th century modernisation with extensions. The building is timber-framed. Most of the ground floor is underbuilt with Flemish bond red brick with burnt headers, though the north east end is coursed sandstone at ground floor level. Most of the framing is hung with peg-tile, but some framing is exposed and that on the north east end is nogged with old brick set to various patterns. The building has brick stacks with the older ones on stone bases, brick chimneyshafts, and a peg-tile roof.

Plan and Development

The house faces south east. The main block follows a 2-room plan with an axial stack between serving back-to-back fireplaces. A 2-room plan crosswing at the right (north east) end projects forward, with both rooms having outer lateral stacks. An early 20th century extension to the rear of the main block contains the present stair, kitchen and services, with a later flat-roofed extension in the angle of the rear block and crosswing.

The main block is the late medieval section and was originally built as an open hall house. The larger central room was originally open to the roof and heated by an open hearth fire. The left end was probably floored from the beginning but was extensively rebuilt in the early 20th century when the floor level appears to have been altered and a fireplace built onto the back of the hall stack. It was probably the service end originally. A hall stack was inserted in the late 16th or early 17th century and the hall was floored over at the same time. The crosswing is probably early 17th century. The front room was originally unheated with a passage alongside in the main block running from the front past the front room to the rear parlour. The house is two storeys with attics in the roofspace.

Exterior

The front features an irregular 3:1-window arrangement of 19th century casements, mostly without glazing bars. The centre window of the main block (to the former hall) is a 20th century bay window. The front end of the crosswing has a 20th century doorway behind a contemporary hip-roofed porch. The present main doorway is to the rear. The roofs of the main block, crosswing and rear block are gable-ended, with the rear block roof higher than the main block. The front gable of the crosswing has exposed early 17th century close-studded framing and early 20th century shaped bargeboards. The north east side wall of the crosswing (overlooking the churchyard) is also close-studded framing, returning to the rear. A rear ground floor window is an early 17th century bay window with moulded oak mullions. The side wall also includes a couple of small windows containing diamond panes of old leaded glass.

Interior

The former hall in the main block is relatively well-preserved. The framed crosswalls at each end included moulded and brattished rails, though the one above the fireplace is much defaced. The closed trusses above include large curving tension braces. The central open truss has a cambered tie beam but the arch braces have been removed. The crown post above has chamfered corners with pyramid stops, moulded base and cap, and relatively thin up braces. Original common rafters feature lap-jointed collars. The section over the hall is smoke-blackened from the original open hearth fire. A late 16th or early 17th century large brick fireplace with chamfered oak lintel serves the hall, complemented by a contemporary 4-panel intersecting beam ceiling with chamfered beams featuring step stops. The end room section of the main block is apparently much altered. The ground floor room has an unusually tall ceiling with a plain chamfered axial beam and a 20th century fireplace. The roof above includes some clean late medieval timbers but has been much rebuilt.

The early 17th century crosswing is largely intact. Here the beams are chamfered with step stops. The rear parlour fireplace is sandstone with a Tudor arch head and chamfered surround with pyramid stops. Ground and first floor doorways have moulded surrounds. The crosswall is close-studded at ground floor level and the first floor partition has large curving tension braces. The roof consists of tie beam trusses with clasped side purlins and queen struts.

Old Place is part of a good group of varied listed buildings in the vicinity of the Church of St Mary.