1 And 2, Woodmans Hill

One and Two Woodmans Hill, Berkley

A formerly detached house, now divided into two dwellings, dating from the mid to late 17th century with 19th and 20th century additions and alterations.

The building is constructed of coursed rubble stone with a plain clay tile roof and rebuilt brick chimneysstacks. The fenestration is a mixture of styles and dates, including former four-light and three-light ovolo-moulded mullioned windows and three- and two-light timber casements with small panes, all with timber lintels.

The original plan comprises a rectangular three-room range with additions to the front and rear of No.1 and a rear lean-to to No.2. The structure originally contained two principal rooms on both the ground and first floors, with a smaller room at the right hand (south) end, and additional rooms in the attic. A winder staircase to the side of the stack within No.1 provided access to the upper floors, whilst an opening on the opposite side of the fireplace connected the ground floor rooms. The building was divided into two dwellings in the 19th century. It is two storeys with attics.

The exterior displays an asymmetrical three-bay façade with two full gables, each containing a two-light casement to the gable above three-light casements at first and ground floor levels. Between the two gables is a 19th century single-storey brick addition with a pitched tile roof, above which are two small stair-lights with timber surrounds. The right hand bay has a plank door with plain surround and an offset two-light casement above. The south return has been rebuilt and contains uPVC windows to each floor. The rear (east) elevation is similar to the front, with two gables and a mix of window styles, including timber ovolo-moulded mullioned windows to the ground floor of No.1 and first floor of No.2. Some attic windows and a first floor window are blocked.

No.1 retains a significant amount of historic fittings including the original entrance door (accessed from the 19th century front addition), a principal winder stair with incised risers, chamfered beams with stepped run-out stops, 17th century moulded door frames and doors with decorative strap ends, and 17th and 19th century window catches. No.2, which suffered a fire in the 1980s, retains evidence of a bressumer above the now blocked ground floor fireplace, chamfered ceiling beams, and some plank doors. The roof throughout consists of pegged collared trusses with tie beams and two rows of trenched purlins.

The building dates from the mid to late 17th century or possibly earlier. A vertical joint in the masonry, visible on both front and rear elevations, indicates two principal phases of construction. The 1838 Tithe Map shows a larger building extending slightly southwards, which appears to have been reduced in size sometime between 1838 and 1888. The house was converted into two dwellings in the mid to late 19th century.