Twyssenden Manor and wall projecting

House. Dating from the 15th century, Twyssenden Manor has been altered and extended throughout the 16th to 17th centuries, with a mid-19th century restoration. It is timber framed, with exposed, restored framing and plaster infill. The return and rear elevations are tile hung on the first floor, with red brick in English Bond and sandstone at ground floor level. A central stone tower is also present. The roofs are plain tiled.

The house originated as a hall house, later expanded into an L-shaped plan with additional wings. The entrance elevation of the original hall range has four framed bays, likely following a Wealden hall house plan, now two stories high and set upon a sandstone plinth. It features a hipped roof with stacks to the end left, the centre right, the end right, and the rear wings. There are three three-light mullioned and transomed windows on each floor, with sidelights to the left, a two-light window to the centre right, and a plank and stud door in a four-centred arched doorway to the centre right. A basement opening is present to the right. A projecting wall, approximately three feet high, constructed from sandstone with red brick repairs, extends to the right and returns to the front garden.

The additional hipped and gabled wings to the rear form a small, open-paned courtyard, which served as the early 17th-century main entrance. A central stone tower, lowered and with a hipped tiled roof added in the 19th century, rises within the courtyard. At ground floor level, the tower has a crudely executed composition featuring four Ionic pilasters. The outer bays incorporate round-headed niches with pediments in scrolled brackets, and a central stone cross window with a label. Boarded, round-headed doors, set within a keyed surround in a squared frame, are also present. Above the doorway are the arms of Anthony Fowle, dating from the reign of Charles I. The upper floor features two simple single lights.

Internally, the earlier range retains a crown post roof. A fireplace displays Anthony Fowle's coat of arms, and early 17th-century panelling covers wall paintings which depict a Tudor rose pattern and an inscription of the marriage vow. A rich 17th-century staircase is also present. During the restoration around 1870, trap doors were discovered leading to a ‘secret’ priests chamber, which contained an altar and a painting of the Virgin. A small, hidden chapel had already been found. The house was the ancient seat of the Twysden family, and is the birthplace of Lord Chief Baron of Exchequer Sir Geoffrey Gilbert (1674-1721). The house was restored circa 1870 by Alexander Bereford-Hope, who acted as his own architect but received advice from Butterfield and Street.