Gaunt House

House. It likely has origins in the late medieval period, with construction primarily in the early 17th century, and subsequent alterations in the 18th and 20th centuries. The building is constructed of coursed limestone rubble, with a hipped roof, featuring reset carved figure, stone slates to the front, and concrete tiles to the rear. There's a stone ridge stack to the left, and a large, offset rear lateral stone stack. The main element is a two-storey hall range, flanked by cross wings that enclose three sides of a rear courtyard. The front elevation has two storeys and a five-window range. An early 17th-century chamfered stone doorway, with a four-centred arch and chamfered imposts, is located to the right of the central hall range, containing an ancient studded door of lapped planks with strap hinges. Concrete lintels are visible above 18th-century three-light leaded first-floor casements, and 19th-century transomed three-light windows with runners for iron opening lights. A further outshut and timber lintels are above 20th-century casements to the right of the door. The rear right wing features a stone end stack and outshut, and the rear left wing an early 17th-century outshut to the right. The left side wall, with a three-window range, includes 18th-century leaded casements, and 19th-century transomed windows. There are also hood moulds over an early 17th-century three-light window with 20th-century mullions, and a chamfered light above a 17th-century plank door set in a hollow-chamfered architrave with basket arch. Inside, the hall has an early 17th-century chamfered arched fireplace, and an 18th-century collar-truss with staggered butt purlins is present above the right wing. The left wing contains chamfered and moulded stone arched fireplaces and 17th-century ribbed doors. A ground-floor room to the rear of a stack has a plastered beam with lozenge and floral decoration, and a first-floor room above has a plastered beam with stencilled decoration. A collar-truss roof with butt purlins is also present. The rear right wing contains a queen-post truss with windbraces, clasped purlins and mortices for bracing. Prior to the 18th-century re-roofing of the hall, the cross wings were gabled to the front. Two jowled posts of heavy scantling in the right wall of the left wing have mortices for large braces and are part of a former, possibly late medieval, hall and cross wing. Gaunt House stands within a medieval moated site. Historical records indicate it was once owned by Dr. John Fell of Oxford, a Royalist who provided the house as a base for the King’s Army in 1643-5, before it was attacked and taken by Parliamentarians.