Crooke'S Farmhouse

SO 72 NW OXENHALL ROSS ROAD (north side)

3/198 Crooke's Farmhouse

24.3.76

II*

Farmhouse; C15, early C17, early C19. Wet-dash roughcast: tiled roof, painted brick to left return. Irregular L plan, 4-window wide front, 2 storeys and attics. Wide, hipped porch, single storey, Doric pillars on square bases each corner front, pilasters rear, frieze, moulded cornice, all up 2 stone steps. Six-panel front door behind, top 4 glazed, bottom 2 flush, sidelights over flush panels, all in reeded frame with corner paterae, segmental fanlight over. Either side a wide, flat-headed double French door with matching fixed lights over, on right marginal lights to extreme sides, on left 3 equal panes each door. To left frame for dummy door. First floor 4 sash windows, flat heads, marginal lights to sides. Hipped roof, slopes down to much lower eaves on returns than on front. Upper part gabled on left, below chimney to right of dummy door: 5 diagonally-set flues over. Right return stone base to chimney external to fabric, top removed. Interior: 6 panel doors to entrance hall and landing, reeded surrounds, plain square corner blocks, panelled reveals to door on right of hall. Moulded cornice to entrance hall and adjoining rooms on front; reeded surrounds to fireplaces in latter, corner paterae: semi-circular recess to rear of room on right, arched head, surround as fireplace. Cellar under left room: scratch moulded door. Rear rooms ground and first floor bar stop to chamfer on ceiling beams, and one scratch-moulded boarded door; above two 6-panel scratch moulded doors. Bottom flight of stairs early C19 on reverse curves: above heavy moulded handrail and string, square newels, ball finials, turned balusters. Ovolo moulded beam over first floor: triple arch to front of house. Slightly cambered ceiling first floor front room on right; above C15 roof, 4 half bays, 2 infilled trusses fairly close together, an open and a half truss, further truss to front just inside stone front wall. Open truss collar, tie beam, curved struts, cusping to upper parts principals,1 pair threaded purlins, originally a square ridge: half truss curved braces in place of tie beam, scalloped wind braces. Left end front timber framing shows in part inside, originally close studding to ground floor: end trusses survive: large fireplace on ground floor, crane over, oven to one side. Medieval house altered C17, probably then H plan, with one rear wing extended. Georgianized early C19. Described as 'a good house' in 1712. Estate said to have been given to Thomas Hooke as a reward for saving Henry V's life at Agincourt, 1415. Still belonged to same family in 1985. (D. Verey, Gloucestershire: The Vale and the Forest of Dean, 1970, under Newent; R. Atkyns, The Ancient and Present State of Gloucestershire, Vol. I, 1712; Burke's Landed Gentry, Vol III, 1969).

Listing NGR: SO7044626071