Outbuilding To West Of Manor Farmhouse

Outbuilding to the west of Manor Farmhouse, now used as storage. Dating to the late 16th century and built for the Rodney family of the nearby manor house, which stood on higher ground to the northeast and was demolished around 1800, this building originally enclosed part of the western wall of the outer court to the manor house. Its precise original function is uncertain; Nikolaus Pevsner suggested it was a summerhouse, though it may alternatively have served as a meeting place for manorial court proceedings or as accommodation for servants or guests.

The building is constructed of uncoursed limestone rubble with a moulded plinth band, dressed alternating quoins, remains of lime render and roughcast, and a pantile roof with moulded coping verges. It is rectangular on plan and comprises two storeys.

The west elevation features a central inserted loft door flanked by two hollow-moulded reserve-chamfered two-light stone-mullioned and transomed windows with label moulds on the first floor. The ground floor has a central blocked classical-style doorway with a semi-circular arch and ashlar surround, with emphasised imposts to the arch; remains of the doorcase survive, including architrave, frieze with cornice, and bases and pedestals of flanking columns (the columns themselves are missing). Two small inserted window openings are present on the ground floor.

The east elevation formerly had three similar three-light stone-mullioned and transomed windows to the first floor: the centre window has been replaced by a plank loft door but retains its label mould; the outer windows retain label moulds and ovolo-moulded surrounds. Granary steps occupy the centre of this elevation. A hood mould remains over a similar window to the right, which now has an inserted stable door; a timber lintel spans a stable door to the left, inserted into the position of a similar former window, with fragments of hood mould surviving. The right (north) gable end retains a complete three-light window to the first floor.

The interior preserves a central former through-passage with stone doorways featuring ovolo-moulded four-centred architraves set in ogee-moulded surrounds, opening into flanking rooms with stop-chamfered beams. Traces of a small fireplace and flue survive in the rear wall of the right-hand room. The roof is a six-bay collar-truss construction with chamfered collars, pegged and staggered through purlins, and a threaded ridge purlin.

The building was converted into a stable and granary in the early 19th century.