Soloman'S Court With Barn And Shelter Shed

Solomon’s Court is a detached house with associated outbuildings, dating to the early 17th century, with probable origins in a late medieval structure. It is constructed of random rubble limestone, with ashlar chimneys and a stone slate roof. The house is two storeys with an attic. An attached stable and shelter shed range forms a courtyard to the northeast side.

The northeast side of the house has a three-window front, with recessed cavetto mullioned casement windows with hoodmoulds. These are predominantly 2-light windows with a king mullion on the ground floor to the right, and a 3-light window above; a 3-light window to the left, with other windows being 2-light. A doorway with a chamfered opening and plank door is located to the left of the centre. An offset buttress to the left end may be of an earlier date than the present house. The roof pitch was reduced when the eaves were raised. Gable end chimneys are present, the one on the southeast end having a moulded cap.

Attached to the southeast end is a lower range of outbuildings, extended in the 20th century, connecting with the barn and stable and creating the courtyard. This range returns on the opposite side of the courtyard, including a two-bay shelter shed. The southwest side has two gable additions, indicating a mid-18th century roof rebuilding, each containing a pair of 2-light recessed chamfered mullioned casements with hoodmoulds. Two casements are arranged below each gable on both floors, with mostly 20th-century restored windows of 2 and 3 lights and hoodmoulds. An off-centre doorway, aligned with that on the northeast side, features a glazed door and timber lintel. A lower outbuilding to the right has a chamfered mullioned casement and an eaves-mounted gabled dormer.

Inside, the principal room on the ground floor has a very fine Jacobean plaster ceiling. A central beam is plastered with moulded detailing to the beam chamfers and elaborate plaster stops. Similar chamfering is visible below a running leaf trail frieze to a partition wall. A large stone Tudor arched fireplace has a moulded opening. A stone spiral stair was originally present, giving access to a room above, but this access is now blocked. The room was elaborated in the early 18th century with a Doric chimneypiece, fluted pilasters, and a niche with a shell hood. Fielded panelling is found on the casement shutters and window seats. Another ground floor room has large stone slab jambs to the fireplace with a timber lintel. A similar plasterwork and stone chimneypiece is recorded in an upper floor room.

Solomon’s Court was owned by the Smart family in the 17th and 18th centuries, sharing several developmental parallels with Upper Througham Farmhouse.