Hymerford House

House. Dating from the 15th century onwards, with later additions. The house is constructed of local stone rubble with lime rendering, and has Ham stone dressings. The roof is thatched, with coped gables, and brick and stone chimney stacks. Originally a hall house, floors were inserted later, and a front and rear porch were added in the 16th century, alongside other modifications. The west facade has two storeys and six bays, with extensions to the south, including Grove Cottage. Bay 1 has a three-light leaded casement window. Bay 2 has a two-light window, the lower part of which is set in a former doorway. Bays 3 and 4 have tall, single, two-light, pointed arched windows with transoms, 15th-century tracery, external ferramenta, and arched label moulds with square stops. The porch in bay 5 has an outer panelled archway, and possibly an earlier inner doorway with a label featuring one square stop, one shield, stone seats on either side, and a four-panel ceiling with ovolo-mould ribs. Above the porch is a two-light, cusped arched window, with a square label, and the gable is coped with a ball finial. Bay 6 is a repetition of bay 1, and adjoins Grove Cottage. A flat-roofed extension to bay 6 has a 20th-century doorway and, in bay 5, an extension incorporates a pointed arch doorway. The windows are mostly modern casements, some leaded, but an early timber casement remains in the south side of bay 6. Inside, the screens passage is a modern restoration, but contains two arches in the south wall; one round-headed, and one pointed arched. The kitchen has a large, cambered arch fireplace made from massive stones, with a bread oven, spit, and salt recess. The hall has been divided by an intermediate floor. Traces of the roof are visible at first-floor level, including fine carved eaves plates to the front and back walls, with some colour remaining on the ornamentation, and jointed crucks from which the lower joints have been removed. The west porch roof retains original timbers, including jointed cruck trusses and a rib and panel pitcher ceiling. Remains of various doorways and windows of probably late medieval date are also present. Attached to the south side is Grove Cottage, and in the grounds, a former sheep dip. This building is recognised as being of group value.