Hamlet House

Hamlet House, now two dwellings, dates to the late 16th and early 17th centuries and was remodelled and extended around 1740. Originally timber-framed, the left side of the rear wing retains light timber framing. The front of the house is of mid-18th century English bond brick, while the right side wall is of chalk rubble. The roof is gabled and covered in old tiles, with brick end and ridge stacks, and a large 17th-century ridge stack. The building follows an L-shaped plan. It is two storeys high with a five-window front. A 20th-century door and porch are located on the left, alongside a cambered arch over a 20th-century door on the right. Similar arches feature over 20th-century two-light casements, including two in rebuilt openings. Timber lintels are above similar first-floor casements, with the exception of two 19th-century casements on the right. Early 19th-century ranges extend to the rear, along with a two-storey, mid-18th century rear left wing, constructed of English bond brick with a gabled old tile roof and a 20th-century rear bay. The interior features chamfered, ogee-stopped beams. A mid-18th century dog-leg staircase with winders and turned balusters on a closed string is located to the rear, and the rear wall has exposed timber framing. The roof and section to the right were not inspected, but are likely to be of interest. The house appears on estate maps dating from 1730 and 1735 and was owned by the Franklin family, who paid for five hearths in Clare in 1665. It was converted and extended into six cottages in the early 19th century. The surrounding area contains remains of a deserted medieval settlement.