Bushmead, Elham House and Jay Cottage

MATERIALS: brick with flint bands and brick dressings, rendered to all but the rear elevation, with moulded brick stacks along the ridge and a roof of fish-scale tiles. Regular fenestration with late-C20 timber casements, except for some to the rear which may be late C19, and moulded barge boards.

PLAN: the building comprises a principal range with a central projecting bay and a porch with cross-wings to either end; the left-hand wing and the porch were added at the end of the C19. All are of one and a half storeys. To the rear are the former late-C19 galleries which were originally attached to the house by a connecting range. The latter was demolished in the late C20 when the former galleries were converted to dwellings.

EXTERIOR: symmetrical front elevation with five window range flanked by gabled outer wings which break forwards. The left (north-west) wing has a large three-light mullioned and transomed window beneath a square head. The central range has a projecting central gabled entrance bay with a tripartite Tuscan porch of ashlar and a moulded entablature. The porch is now glazed and has late-C20 double doors to the middle section. To either side of the entrance are a two-light window and a doorway, formerly a window, under a gabled hood. To the upper floor are four casement windows in gablets. The right-hand cross-wing has a matching mullioned and transomed window to the other cross-wing. The south return has projecting entrance porch to the centre with a recessed late-C19 plank door. There is a two-light casement to either side of the entrance and two dormer windows to the roof. The rear (north-east) elevation has walls of exposed banded flint and brick and is of similar style to the front. There is a central projecting bay or wing with a moulded brick stack and two roof lights, which has a single-storey lean-to to either side. The windows are mostly two-light casements with horizontal glazing bars and leaded lights, under segmental brick heads, with gabled dormers and gablets to the upper floor. There is a blocked window to the ground floor and the left-hand lean-to has a late-C20 window and sliding patio doors. To the right, is an entrance with late-C20 door to the south-east side of the north cross-wing and, to the north-west return are a patio door and a casement window to the ground floor, and three regularly-spaced dormer windows above.

INTERIOR: this has been sub-divided into three separate dwellings and retains little of historic interest. Both cross-wings have C19 roof carpentry, without decorative details. The interior of the central section, now known as Elham House, was not inspected.