The Court House

The Court House is a house dating back to the 14th century, originally an ecclesiastical court house. A late 16th-century timber-framed house was added to the east side, with minor alterations in the 17th and 18th centuries, and small extensions and restoration work in the early 20th century. The walls are constructed of malmstone and flint rubble, faced with stone dressings. The windows are tall, mullioned and transomed with cusped heads, with smaller, single and coupled windows also featuring cusped heads, some of which have been restored. Doorways are topped with pointed arches. A brick stack from the 17th century is present, alongside other brick dressings. The exposed timber frame is infilled with brick, and some areas have Flemish bond brick walling, with early 20th-century flint walls incorporated. The roof is tiled, predominantly gabled, with some hips.

The building features a large, open hall of three bays. It contains a fireplace at one end, two windows on each side, and doorways at the north end. A north-facing cross wing of two storeys, containing a solar above a buttery, extends beyond a smaller two-storey wing. To the east, a "farmhouse" style building of two storeys is linked via a passageway, which continues north to the entrance, associated with Court House Cottage. Casements of various sizes are present, with mostly 20th-century leaded lights. The doorways are plain.

The interior of the hall, currently unused, is largely original, with flintwork and stone dressings. A 15th-century fireplace was inserted at the south end, featuring a frieze of six panels containing quatrefoils. The north end has two doorways with pointed arches. The open timber roof incorporates king posts and massive tie beams with arch braces, supported by stone brackets carved as the heads of kings and bishops. The solar, now a library, has three bays with an open king post roof, a large original stone fireplace, windows in the gable ends and sides, and a doorway leading to the smaller wing (upper floor). The buttery below the solar retains bare walls and original features, including one blocked window and doorways to the hall and smaller wing. The eastern part of the house is of vernacular design, with two storeys and an attic. It has irregular fenestration, mainly 20th-century casements, and a few older smaller windows. The timber frame is visible both inside and outside. Original 17th-century oak doors and 18th-century moulded dadoes are also present. In one area, heavy vertical boarding may be part of the original hall screen. The 20th-century additions are designed to be unobtrusive.