Twitten

This is a house, formerly a farmhouse, likely dating from the early 17th century, with later rebuildings and additions. The structure incorporates an oak frame, partly encased in later brick and now painted, and has a thatched roof.

The building’s plan features a broad middle bay, originally an open hall now floored over; a winder staircase is present, along with a large inserted brick hearth and chimney stack at the southern end. A bay to the south was rebuilt in the early 18th century, with a narrow later bay beyond. A large first-floor doorway is found in the north end of the hall, originally accessed by ladder and leading to a produce storage area above the northern bay. This doorway was rebuilt in the late 18th or early 19th century and later extended further south. A modern rear extension exists to the west.

The exterior is characterised by painted brick with some exposed framing and an irregular pattern of windows. The one-and-a-half storey range to the south has a thatched hipped roof with a ridge stack and an eyebrow dormer. The main doorway is located in a single-storey section to the right, itself with a half-hipped thatched roof.

Inside, the main downstairs room, the former hall, has a large inserted brick hearth on the left. A spine beam in the ceiling, dated 1733, was inserted to form an upper floor. Smaller rooms are found in the later bays to the right and left. A winder staircase at the rear of the hall leads to a first-floor chamber. The roof structure is exceptionally tall, with two sets of collars and purlins; mortices in the purlins suggest they are re-used timber. Straight braces connect the collars and purlins. Smoke-blackening on the timbers provides evidence of a former open hearth. The large doorway to the north is part of the original construction, originally accessed by ladder from the hall and likely giving access to a produce storage area. Scarf-joints to purlins indicate the existence of former full-height bays to the north and south, which were later rebuilt.

Analysis suggests Twitten was originally built in the early 17th century, likely re-using older timbers, as a three- or four-bay yeoman's house with a central open hall and a first-floor storage area for agricultural produce. Around 1733, the hall was floored over and a brick chimney stack installed. The southern bay was rebuilt at the same time, followed by the northern bay towards the end of the 18th century. Further extensions were added at the building’s ends, the northern of which incorporated older timbers.

Twitten is designated at Grade II for its architectural interest as an early 17th century timber-framed former open hall house of an unusual type, with evidence of a first-floor storage loft for agricultural produce. It also holds group value with other listed buildings within the historic village core.