Camptons

Camptons is a timber-framed building constructed in the late 15th or early 16th century, with a truncated remnant of a 16th or 17th century crosswing to the east. The structure was extended with 17th and 18th century additions to the west, and underwent late 19th century alterations to the north end.

The timber-framed structure is underbuilt in brick on the ground floor and concealed by hanging tile at first floor level. The roof is covered in clay tile and windows are timber casements. The building follows a three-bay plan on a north-south alignment, with an outshut to the north-west and distinct two-storey and single-storey additions to the south-west.

The main range is a two-storey building with a hipped roof at the northern end and a gabled roof at the southern end, with a lean-to roof adjoining a large end stack. A brick dentil band marks the division between the two floors. The east elevation retains a projecting gable at the southern end for the former crosswing. The west elevation features a single-storey outshut with a catslide roof enclosing the two northernmost bays, and a hipped two-storey addition adjoining the southern bay. A small section of timber framing is visible between these two western additions. The north-east corner of the building is canted and surmounted by a small gable.

On the ground floor, the building is subdivided into three bays by two transverse beams. These beams have substantial mortices with corresponding mortices in adjacent wall posts for large braces, now missing. Both the central and southern bays have axial beams, double-tenoned into the transverse beams. The ceiling beams are chamfered with evidence of flat-step chamfer stops and mason's mitres. The joists are laid flat and run east-west in the central and southern bays, while in the northern bay they run north-south. The northern ends of these joists show weathering; the central joist contains a mortice, possibly for a former jetty bracket. A girding beam between the northern bay and the outshut has a recess at its northern end, possibly for a jetty plate and post. An investigation in 2022 prior to repair work noted that its soffit contained a series of mortices for staves and two studs. Within the central bay, part of the axial beam has been replaced and several joists appear to have been turned on their sides. On the west side of the bay, five joists terminate in an inserted trimmer beam. At the south end is a chimney breast with an exposed bressumer and an inserted brick fireplace. The timber frame has been reinforced with oak piers and corbels used in conjunction with steel straps and beams.

The first floor is accessed via a partitioned stair in the central bay. The bay partitions incorporate three substantial arch braces supporting the tie beams above. The southern partition has been partially removed, resulting in loss of the south-eastern brace. The two western braces spring from studs inset to accommodate the staircase enclosure, an arrangement possibly indicative of a corridor or lobby entrance serving the first floor. Two inserted doorways in the central bay lead into the northern bay; the frame of the westernmost cuts across the north-western arch brace.

The crown post roof has three of the original four plain crown posts rising from substantial tie beams. The northernmost has been lost due to later modifications to the roof structure, though the tie beam retains three central pegs marking its original position. Several carpenters' marks remain legible on the surviving crown posts, numbered II to V, most with circular motifs as suffixes. In the northern bay, the collar purlin is missing and the collar braces are absent on both faces of the crown post. In the southern bay, the southern collar brace has been replaced with a straight brace resting on the tie beam. The collar purlin in this bay is reinforced with steel plates and an oak stud, while a new northern collar brace has been inserted parallel to the historic brace which has distorted.

Evidence of the former eastern crosswing remains in the southern bay, where the original principal rafter truss partially survives with a collar and mortices for the now missing clasped purlins. Within this bay, the southern face of the northern truss is plastered with a black painted outline around the framing, which also features on the brick infill at the southern end. Nails and plaster remnants on the collars within the northern bay suggest this paint scheme once extended throughout the roof. There is no evidence of smoke blackening on any roof timbers.

An outbuilding attached via a single-storey link to the west side is a later 20th century addition and is not included in the listing.