The Bower House

The Bower House is a Grade II* listed house, originally a vicarage, located on the west side of High Street in Lindfield. It features 19th-century lettering under the eaves that states it was "Built about 1300, restored C16 and again in 1725," along with a square plaque dated AM 1725. The house has a timber-framed open hall that is ceiled over, with a 16th-century front that was refronted in the 19th century. The east elevation showcases red brick and grey headers in a diaper pattern on the ground floor, set on a brick plinth, with alternating bands of plain, pointed, and curved tiles on the first floor. The roof is half-hipped and tiled. The building has two storeys and attics, featuring four windows, two gabled dormers with carved bargeboards and finials, and four 19th-century casements with iron pintle hinges. There is a wide eaves cornice.

On the north elevation, there is exposed square framing, jowled posts, and some curved bracing, along with a 20th-century doorcase that has a flat hood supported by console brackets. The south elevation includes a half-hipped gable, with a brick ground floor and a tiled first floor that has bands of curved tiles. The west elevation has two projecting wings made of reused timbers and an original multiple external stack at the centre.

Inside, the house contains rare late 14th-century post and panel panelling, where the posts have been reduced to thin strips to create cusping at the heads. The interior also features an arched doorhead with inserted ceilings on both the ground and first floors, lambs tongue stop spine beams and joists, and an early crown post that is square in section with quadripartite bracing. The frame is exposed, showcasing jowled posts and down bracing, and the floors have very wide floorboards.