Vastern House

Vastern House is a house with a core dating back to the 15th century, with extensions from the 17th and 18th centuries. It is constructed of stone and features stone slate roofs, while the 20th-century extensions are rendered and topped with a slate roof. The main structure has a two-bay core that extends axially by one bay at a higher level. There is a smaller addition to the front (south-west) with a cellar beneath, and a rear extension that adds another bay. The building has major stacks aligned with the core and on the rear wall.

The windows are a mix of stone and timber mullioned and transomed styles, many of which were restored in the late 19th century. The entrance features a 16th-century stone doorcase with a 19th-century door. The forward wing contains a 15th-century four-centred moulded door and a single light window that were originally from Bewick Bassett Manor House, installed in the late 19th century by Sir Henry Meux. Other windows include stone ovolo-mullioned designs with leaded glazing and 17th-century iron casements.

Inside, the major reception room showcases crossed moulded ceiling beams with a foliated boss from the 15th century, along with a 16th-century stone fireplace that has a carved overmantle featuring the arms of the Englefield family, who owned the manor from 1585 to 1631. The panelling in the west extension dates from the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and the building has a 17th-century double purlin roof. Vastern House is likely a remnant of the gatehouse of the primary manor of the parish, which began construction around the 13th century, was repaired for Queen Isabel in 1355, and was owned by royalty until Katherine Parr.