Wildwood (Formerly Widewoods)

Wildwood (formerly Widewoods)

House of late 16th-century origin, with 19th-century and early 20th-century alterations and additions. A large extension to the east dating from the 1980s is not included in the listing.

The building is timber-framed with red-brick infill or cladding at ground floor, and tile-hanging, render, or rendered in-fill panels at first floor. The chimney stacks are of red brick, with the lower part of the large west stack constructed of Bargate stone. Roofs are covered in clay tiles. Doors are timber, and windows are either metal casements set within timber frames with leaded glass of diamond-quarry pattern (some panes possibly of early manufacture, reset into later lead-work and frames), or wholly metal-framed with small square panes divided by metal glazing bars.

The building faces south with a footprint formed of two offset wings of approximately equal size, one to the east and one to the west, with a complex arrangement of mainly gabled roofs and three large stacks – one to the east and two to the north.

The west wing dates from the late 16th century and comprises a two-bay gable-ended roof running north to south, with two adjoining cross-bays to the east, a large external stone stack to the west, and a 19th-century cross-bay. A 20th-century open-well stair with quarter-turn landings has been inserted in the north of the two main bays. The timber frame is masked to the south by brick and tile hanging, and to the west by the 19th-century cross-bay. The large external west stack has a pair of fractionally offset flues which step out at the top, topped by brick bee-skep pots. The narrow bricks within the stack contrast with deeper, later bricks that partially clad the building. A deep pentice wraps two sides of the stack (south and west), forming a porch over the west entrance; map evidence suggests this is an early 20th-century addition. On the north elevation the timber frame is exposed beneath a tile-hung gable with square panels infilled with brick at ground floor and render at first floor, with curved down-braces. A late 20th-century French window has been inserted. To the east, some framing is visible in one of the cross-bays, suggesting possible alteration to the roof structure. A rainwater hopper serving the valley gutter here is dated 1892. The 1930s extension is believed to be formed of a mixture of contemporary and historic timbers.

The east wing was added in the 1930s and comprises a gable-ended bay running north to south with a large external stack to the north, and to its west a cross-bay linking into the north-east corner of the west wing. In front of this cross-bay to the south is a single-storey enclosed entrance porch. To the south the east wing is dominated by the gable-ended bay with exposed timber-framing and a shallow first-floor jetty. An enclosed timber porch links it to the west wing at ground floor, with a hipped dormer window above. To the north the east wing has a complex composition including several stacks and an irregular arrangement of roofs. Two small later extensions dating to around 1980 infill set-backs in the original footprint. To the south the east wing presents an irregular composition of roofs, chimneys, tile, brick and render that derives stylistically from the early west wing.

Internally, substantial quantities of timber frame are exposed, particularly on the first floor where carpenters' marks are visible on some joints. Some floor joists have been renewed where visible.

Within the west wing, the north and south bays are of unequal size, with the north bay narrower and unheated, and the south bay served by the large external stack to the west. At ground floor the two bays have been opened up to one another, their spine beams resting centrally on a cross-axial timber supported by an inserted timber column. Both spine beams have deep chamfers; that in the south bay has lambs-tongue stops. The fireplace on the west wall has a curved brick hood at its centre, a bench seat to the right, and a niche to the left. The north bay opens into the 19th-century cross-wing to the west, and to the east the north cross-bay opens to the stairwell and east wing.

On the first floor the north bay is mainly occupied by the stairwell and landing, the latter floored in very wide elm boards. The south bay is entered from the landing through a door made from three wide planks, which on its outer face bears arrow-like marks to either side of uncertain purpose – possibly carpenter's marks or apotropaic marks to ward off evil spirits. Two other similar doors are found upstairs, along with several clearly of later date. The first-floor spine beams are similar to those below, with wide chamfers and lambs-tongue stops. The fireplace in the south bay has been remodelled in the 20th century (probably the 1930s) with a brick surround and carved wooden mantle shelf.

The roof space is habitable; wear on the tie beam between the two bays suggests this may have been long established. Much of the roof structure is now hidden behind modern finishes, but purlins and windbraces are visible, and a small section of opening at the apex reveals pegged rafters without a ridge piece. Much of the frame of this wing appears to survive, with losses traceable through evidence of empty mortise joints. At ground floor, where the north bay opens into the 19th-century cross-bay, diamond-shaped sockets in the underside of the mid-rail, flanked by mortising for vertical braces, indicate the location of an external window. Directly above on the first floor similar evidence exists for a second window, as well as joints for down-braces now cut back. At ground floor there are further empty joints, including those to the east evidencing removal of bracing in the north cross-bay to allow its opening to the east wing.

Within the east wing there are two rooms at ground floor (east and west) and a lobby, with bedrooms above. The only interior feature of note is the large inglenook fireplace in the eastern downstairs room, which echoes that in the west wing.