Greenhill House

Greenhill House

A house of probably early 17th-century or earlier origin, extended and rearranged in the early 18th century (1720 according to R O Heath) and refashioned and extended again around the mid 19th century. The building is constructed of plastered granite rubble with a thatched roof featuring gabled ends and rendered gable end chimneystacks, the right-hand stack to the front range having offsets.

The plan reveals the building's development. What is now the rear wing was probably the higher end of an early 17th-century or earlier three-room plan house, with its gable end stack originally heating the inner room and chamber above. Around the early 18th century, the house was reoriented and a new wing—now the main front range—was built at right angles to the lower end, where the lateral stack became the gable end stack of the new range. This early 18th-century front range is of two storeys and attic with a symmetrical two-room plan, featuring a central through-passage leading to a staircase behind the left-hand room, making the left room smaller than the right. Around the mid 19th century, the house was refashioned and a flat roof single storey kitchen and scullery addition was built at the rear in the angle between the early 18th-century front and the earlier wing.

The front elevation is two storeys and attic with a symmetrical two-window range. It displays rusticated stucco quoins and stringcourse at first floor level. The windows are 19th-century tripartite sashes with horizontal glazing bars only. Ground floor windows are set in moulded stucco architraves with cills on small brackets, whilst moulded architraves have been removed from first floor windows. The central doorway has stuccoed pilasters with round-headed panels and a later wooden moulded cornice, moulded panel reveals, and a rectangular fanlight with margin glazing bars, with a 19th-century moulded four-panel door. Two-light attic casements with small panes occupy the gable ends. The rear wing has 19th-century two-light casements with glazing bars; the first floor windows break the eaves to form eyebrows, with the right-hand casement featuring an arched top light. A large flat roof single storey addition extends into the angle at the rear.

The interior retains most of its mid 19th-century joinery, including panelled doors, moulded doorcases, and the first flight of the staircase with stick balusters and column newel. A simple marble or slate chimneypiece survives in the left-hand room. The chimneypiece in the right-hand room has been replaced but is flanked by elliptically headed alcoves. The staircase from first floor to attic is 18th-century, featuring moulded string, moulded stick balusters and a heavy handrail. Many 18th-century two-panel doors and one cupboard survive on the first floor and attic, along with single 19th-century chimneypieces with their original iron grates. The rear wing contains a section of 17th-century panelling reused as a partition. The mid 19th-century rear addition features a large kitchen fireplace with a bracketed shelf, flanked by large early 18th-century corner cupboards with Doric entablatures, giant fluted pilasters and round-arched panelled doors. These cupboards were moved from the front of the house. The roof space over the early 18th-century range is ceiled but appears to retain its original structure. Over the earlier rear wing the roof is also ceiled with no access to the roof space, but over what may have been the hall there is a high plastered ceiling revealing the shape of the trusses with collars and one heavy purlin.

Immediately behind Greenhill House, the first Baptist meetinghouse in Moretonhampstead was built in 1715 by Samuel Lightfoot the Elder, though it was later destroyed by fire. Greenhill House has been virtually unaltered since the 19th century and retains its plan, which clearly shows its development from its early origins. It is very complete both internally and externally and occupies an important situation close to the church.