Little Crittenden

Little Crittenden is a house with origins dating back to around the mid-15th century, significantly altered following a fire in 1937. The original core of the house is timber-framed, with a brick ground floor; the roof was originally thatched and replaced with peg tiles. An addition was built in 1937, constructed of brick with a peg-tile roof.

The house faces north and is set back from the road. Originally, the medieval block likely comprised two rooms, with a two-bay hall to the west and a single-bay block to the east, potentially with a stairwell. A cross passage was introduced around the early 17th century, placing the stack and converting the entrance to a lobby arrangement. Evidence suggests a former staircase existed in the hall, against the front wall. The 1937 fire damaged the roof structure above the tie-beam level and destroyed the floors. During subsequent repairs, a sympathetic rear wing was added to the southeast.

The external appearance is of two storeys. The roof is half-hipped at the left end and hipped at the right, with a catslide extending to a west-facing outshut. The axial brick stack features staggered shafts and a corbelled brick cornice. The front façade is asymmetrical with three windows. The ground floor is painted white, the timber framing featuring widely-spaced elements and tension braces. Windows are 1930s iron casements with square leaded panes. A 1930s door is located on the left, alongside a single-light window, and a further 1930s door sits beside a three-light casement that illuminates the hall. A two-light timber casement is present in the outshut. The first floor has three casements, with two paired over the hall. The 1937 wing has a half-hipped roof, small-pane timber casements, and is gabled to the east, with a stack on the east side.

Inside, the ground floor of the original block retains exposed ceiling beams and a hall fireplace with a chamfered lintel and brick jambs. Jowled wall posts are visible in the wall framing, and the arch-braced hall tie-beam survives. The crown post and rafters were lost in the 1937 fire. A former window frame with shutter grooves for sliding shutters is found in the west end of the chamber above the hall. A room on the first floor’s left-hand side shows traces of former mullioned windows with diagonally-set mullions, one to the front and one to the rear wall. The 1930s carpentry is in a sturdy Arts and Crafts style, featuring a staircase with a facetted finial and well-made plank doors.