Brewhouse, Home Farm, Uppark

A brewhouse of around the later-C18, rebuilt at the northern end in the C20.     MATERIALS: brown and grey bricks, mainly rendered and under a clay tile roof.   PLAN: the house is L-shaped with the brewery wing and cellar to the north end running east-west and a north-south wing of smaller rooms including the remains of the bakery, which have their own former entrances to the east.   EXTERIOR: the principal elevation faces east and is constructed of brick, including a plinth and moulded cornice, most of which is now rendered. It is single storey under a hipped roof and has six regular window bays of three over six sash windows and four bays of panelled timber doors, all under straight heads. The north elevation is also rendered above a brick plinth. It has a pair of planked timber doors to the east side and a large, louvered window opening to the west side.   The building projects to the west where it is constructed of mixed brick predominantly laid in English bond above a continuous plinth. It has a tall, infilled opening, with timber boards above and below a large, 15 pane window. The roof above is half-hipped. The return of the brewery wing has a small, later window opening and further south, there is an entrance under a flat arch. The main roof above has a tall brick stack and a smaller stack to the western pitch. The south elevation is of similar construction to the west and contains one window opening under a brick cornice.   INTERIOR: the building is divided into two main parts, originally a brewhouse, at the north end, and a bakehouse and subsidiary rooms towards the south end. Up against the partition wall, and partially extending beyond into the southern part of the building, is a large circular brick hearth of around 2m in diameter containing a stokehole, with a projecting loading bay at the base and the remains of a circular ‘chamber’ above.   The repaired roof structure at the northern end is exposed and the walls are bare brick. The floor has a modern tiled finish and a timber panel (presumably over a cellar below). The southern part of the building was originally accessed by entrances to the east side, but the space is now entered by the opening on the west side. At the south end, which is partitioned into two parts, the ceiling has been raised and the south wall shows evidence of a first floor, including the remains of a former staircase to the upper level. The north end of the space has a partition wall containing back-to-back fireplaces and then a room containing the remains of a substantial bread oven (boarded over) and the brick base for a copper.