Broomfields

Broomfields

This is a house, formerly a farmhouse, with origins dating to the late 15th or early 16th century. The building represents multiple phases of development, beginning with a surviving bay from a two-bay open hall-house aligned east to west. A late 16th or early 17th century cross-wing was added at right angles to the south-west end, followed by extensions to the south-east in the late 18th or early 19th century and further extensions in the late 19th or early 20th century. A single-storey extension was added to the west in 2004, which does not contribute to the building's special interest.

The north-east part of the building is timber-framed with rendered or painted brick infill. The remainder is constructed of stone, mainly roughcast rendered. The roof is tiled with five brick chimneystacks.

The earliest structural phase comprises the surviving western bay of an open hall-house. A smoke bay was probably inserted into the eastern bay first, with a ceiling added to the western bay to create an upper chamber, before a four-bay late 16th or early 17th century parlour wing replaced the original solar bay. This cross-wing comprised a two-bay parlour to the south, a staircase bay, and a single-bay room to the north on the ground floor, with two chambers above. When the parlour wing was constructed, the floor height of the earlier hall bay was raised, a chimney was added, and the hall became the service end of the house. The plan was further altered by the addition of a bay north-east of the open hall, probably in the early 19th century. Further bays were added to each side of the south end of the cross-wing, certainly by 1872, creating three bays on the entrance front with the central cross-wing bay projecting further than the others. An additional bay was added to the south-east side by 1916, and a further extension was added to the south-west in the 20th century.

The south-east or entrance front is of two storeys and five bays, constructed of stone rubble, mainly roughcast rendered. The central bay projects under a gable and is the only part with exposed stonework. The end pilasters are rendered. A two-light wooden casement window is set in the gable end, with a similar three-light window to the first floor. The ground floor features a central projecting gabled weather-hood over an ogee-arched door, flanked by multi-pane side-lights. The remaining bays have four-light casement windows to both floors, though the western bay has a small gable with a projecting penticed ground floor and triple casement window. Attached at the south-west side is a 20th-century single-storey addition in matching materials with a half-hipped roof and an oval oculus over a segmental-arched window.

The north-east side comprises two parallel ranges. The southern range has a hipped roof, a formerly exterior rendered and brick chimneystack, and a lean-to 20th-century conservatory. The northern bay is half-hipped, with a four-light window on the first floor and an entrance on the ground floor.

The north-west or rear elevation features a tall chimneystack rising from the end bay on the east side. The adjoining bay, which encloses the open hall bay, has a gabled dormer. A penticed ground floor projection extends in front of these bays. The western bay displays the exposed north gable end of the 17th-century cross-wing with the timber-frame exposed, including end posts, tie beam, and curved wind-braces.

The south-west side is largely concealed by a later single-storey service wing extension with a half-hipped roof, an external brick chimneystack, and a service entrance.

Internally, the main entrance on the south side leads directly into the late 16th or early 17th century cross-wing parlour. This space has an exposed timber-framed east wall, originally external, with some framing exposed in the west wall. The parlour retains a moulded spine beam with a two-and-a-half-inch ovolo moulding and hollow-chamfered floor joists with run-out stops. At the north end of the hall is a staircase-bay containing a 19th-century Jacobean style staircase with turned balusters and newel posts, which replaced the original staircase. The partition wall retains original timbers, including curved tension braces and a narrow curved door-head into a closet. A chamfered door frame with mason's mitres leads into the ground floor north bay of the cross-wing, which has exposed plain ceiling beams and wall frame. The ground floor open hall bay, now a sitting room, is separately framed from the cross-wing and has a central spine beam. The east face of the chimneybreast features a lower beam with mortices for earlier floor joists. A bread oven with a metal door, recorded in 1978, is situated in a later lean-to extension adjoining to the north. The drawing room east of the hall features an early 20th-century wooden fireplace with Gibbs surround and a carved central panel. The dining room west of the hall has a bolection-moulded fireplace.

Some posts are visible on the first floor, and the southern chamber of the cross-wing has small panel framing to the east. A timber diamond-mullioned window has been exposed in the west wall. Carpenters' assembly marks survive in the north bedroom of the parlour wing. The open hall bay retains wide jowl posts and arched braces.

The half-winder staircase between first floor and attic contains timber posts and balusters and a wattle and daub panel. The open hall bay features a clasped side purlin roof with two queen struts up to the collar. The rafters are smoke-blackened, and an un-blackened wattle and daub infill panel to the east indicates the former insertion of a smoke bay. The parlour range retains its in-line butt-purlin roof with high collar beams for maximum head height.