Hill Place

HAWKLEY EMPSHOTT SU 73 SE 5/3 Hill Place 16.3.54 II* House. C16, c.1670, mid C19 and late C20. Mixed walling; the older part of malmstone rubble with stone quoins, also some brick dressings and plinth, other walls of brickwork of C17 and C19 in Flemish bond, the latest of flint with brick quoins and also of horizontal weatherboarding. Hipped and 1/2-hipped tile roof, with gables to rear and gabled dormers. The building is a late medieval 2-bay timber- framed hall, with a massive chimney at one end, together with an additional bay (forming a lobby-entrance with an upper floor), altered and extended c.1670 by the addition of a fine 2-storeyed porch and the insertion of a fine ceiling in the extended part and some recladding, further re-cladding and improvement of the mid C19, with C20 rear extension (mostly to the ground floor). West front of 1 storey and attic, 2 above 3 windows, with porch projecting between the 1st and 2nd bays. Victorian sashes. The porch has a hipped roof, with a fully-moulded eaves cornice, brick walls with an eared architrave in cut brickwork to the upper leaded window, a prominent cut-brick doorway with a pediment (with 2 decorated mouldings and dentils), plain surround with shoulders, rubbed flat arch, plinth, thick wood door frame and original boarded door; in front is a stone platform with 5 steps to the approach, and side approach of 3 steps, with wrought-iron rails; several dates are inscribed on the brickwork of the doorway, including AD 1778. Other elevations are irregular with sashes to the larger and casements to the smaller openings. Interior: the timber-frame of the older part is exposed, and there are large fireplaces (with stone surround to the decorated room), the room on the north side has an elaborate plaster ceiling (c.1670), with cornice to the walls and to the cross beams, the 4 deep panels have projecting circular bosses with floral edges and interior devices. The house is associated with Louise de Querouaille (Duchess of Portsmouth), hence the unusually elaborate and refined additions and alterations.

Listing NGR: SU7532331112