Clouds Hill

Clouds Hill

Clouds Hill is a dwelling of mixed construction and date, comprising two parallel ranges of differing ages. The earlier south range is mid-17th century in origin, while the north range dates to the 19th century. The building has undergone successive alterations and extensions, including a two-storey extension to the north-west of 20th-century date and a two-storey extension of uncertain original function to the east.

The earlier parts of the building are timber-framed. The later parts are possibly solid masonry at ground floor with timber-framing to the first floor. Externally the building is clad in brick and limestone rubble at ground floor and hung tiles at first floor. The roofs are covered in clay tiles, although those on the roofs to the north are of modern manufacture. Doors and windows are of timber construction, with windows generally being leaded casements of varying 19th and 20th-century dates. There is also an early 21st-century uPVC French-window in the form of a canted bay in the south elevation.

The south range superficially takes the form of a typical two-bay lobby-entry plan cottage, with a hipped roof with gablets and a substantial central chimney stack. To the east the roof continues down to form a catslide over a single-storey outshut. Between this outshut and the east bay is a brick stack opening into the east bay; both the outshut and stack are likely 19th-century additions. At first floor are two chambers either side of the central stack, neither showing evidence of having been heated by open fire. To the north of the stack is a landing from which the chambers are accessed. To the south of the landing is a cupboard accessed from the west chamber. Much of the framing of both chambers is exposed, including the bases of the roof trusses. The east bay has a queen-post truss, the upper part of which is visible from within the roof space. The west bay has a single central strut visible from within the chamber, suggestive of a crown-post truss. The difference in roof framing indicates that the west bay may incorporate a reused element of earlier construction.

The north range, dating to the 19th century, is more substantially altered and of lesser special interest. It is essentially formed of an east and west bay either side of a 20th-century staircase positioned broadly on the same axis as the central stack and landing of the south range, suggesting it occupies the location of the original stair. To the north of the west bay is a two-storey late 20th-century extension with an entrance porch at ground floor and a bathroom at first floor; this extension is broadly detailed to match the rest of the building but is not of architectural or historic note. At ground floor the west bay is divided into an entrance lobby, cloakroom, and sitting room, the latter opening into the south range through the removal of the dividing wall. The east bay houses the kitchen, which contains a chimney stack in the east wall with blocked openings. At first floor are bedrooms in the east and west bays, with a bathroom to the north of the stair.

To the east of the north range is a two-storey extension of uncertain function. The lower level is accessed only from outside at semi-basement level, with a single small barred window, simple plank door, and red brick floor, served by an external chimney stack running up the north wall. Above is a room accessed up a short flight of stairs from the kitchen. Its small footprint and differing floor levels are unusual, and it may originally have been a laundry or wash-house, presumably contemporary with the north range but possibly extended upwards at a later date.

Externally, the building's character is unified by the ground-floor stonework and first-floor tile-hanging, the latter being a later, presumed 19th-century cladding of the timber-framed south range. The ground-floor openings generally have red brick quoins, as do the corners of the building. The elevations, particularly those to the north and east, are an irregular composition of door and window openings, chimney stacks, and extensions.

The south elevation is the most regular and has the hallmarks of the internal mid-17th-century plan-form, with a near symmetrical arrangement of one ground-floor and one first-floor window to each bay, under a steeply-pitched roof with a central chimney. The door, which would normally be expected to be central in line with the chimney, has been moved off-centre to the east, presumably at the time the building was clad in stone. The ground-floor window to the west has been replaced with the uPVC French-window.

Within the south range, the large central stack opens into the west bay as a wide fireplace with a plain timber bressumer, which is not original. Within the fireplace is evidence of a bread oven, now blocked, and a wooden shelf or bench set into the brickwork. The building's framework is exposed on the ceiling, taking the form of a principal spine beam, chamfered and with lambs-tongue stops, running the width of the room, and cross-axial ceiling joists, those to the south being chamfered with plain stops. The studwork of the north wall has been removed here to open the room into the north range.

The framework in the ceiling of the east bay is also exposed but is of different construction to the west bay. There is no principal timber running across the ceiling, but regularly sized and spaced un-chamfered joists run the width of the room from east to west. Within the central stack is an irregularly-shaped recess to one side, possibly originally a small hearth with later alterations, which has since had the flue blocked and been opened to the front. There is a functioning fireplace in the east wall of this bay, extracting into the 19th-century stack on the east wall; it has a 19th-century hob-grate, but this appears to be a relatively modern addition.

At first floor a substantial quantity of the timber frame is visible in the walls of the two chambers, particularly the west chamber, where the framework forms roughly square panels. The keep of a wooden latch survives to the right of the cupboard adjacent to the chimney breast.

The interior of the north range is of lesser special interest because of its later date and modest character, particularly on the ground floor, which has undergone greater 20th-century alteration. However, part of the framework of the south range is visible at first floor from within the north range, particularly the substantial timbers of the original north wall of the frame around the stair landing and from within the west bedroom. The roof structure in this range comprises slender rafters meeting at a ridge board.

Internal doors are generally of plank construction in varying styles and dates.