Elfords

Elfords is a house dating back to the 15th century, with alterations from the 19th century and partial rebuilding in the mid to late 20th century. It is rendered and has a plain tiled roof. Originally a hall house with cross-wings, the building was later divided into two but is now again a single house. The exterior features four irregularly sized and projecting gables with moulded bargeboards, finials, and pendants, and stacks arranged from left to right. It has seven window bays, with 19th-century mullioned windows with label hoods on both floors. A central three-bay porch is open to the front and has a plinth, cornice parapet, and a panelled inner door. The rear elevation incorporates full-height canted bays to the left and right, as well as gabled ranges with canted bays and mullioned windows. While the property now appears to be an early 19th-century cottage, earlier photographs show an arched window in the centre of the front elevation, suggesting the presence of a central hall which has since been removed. The house originally belonged to the Boys family until 1799, and is associated with the locally famous elopement of Elizabeth Boys and Captain Charles Lamb, which inspired the name 'Lovers’ Seat' at Fairlight, Hastings.