Gatchells

House. Built circa 15th century; altered circa early to mid 16th century; remodelled circa early 17th century and 18th century; with 20th century alterations. Constructed of stone rubble, painted on the west front and with plastered timber-frame on the north end gable. Thatched roof with gabled and half-hipped ends. Gable-end and axial stacks with brick shafts.

The house follows a three-room and cross-passage plan with the high end to the left (north). Originally the hall was open to the roof and separated from the unheated inner room and inner room chamber by a closed truss. Around the early to mid 16th century a chimney stack was built at the low right side of the hall, backing onto the cross-passage, while the much-reduced hall remained open to the roof. A ceiling was inserted into the hall around the early 17th century. The long lower end of the house may have been open to the roof, as the principals of one of the trusses appear to be re-used smoke-blackened timbers; the house may have been extended at the south end where the stack is a later addition. The cross-passage low-side partition has been removed and replaced by an axial partition to form a stair hall at the back. Later additions include outshuts at the north end and on the west front of the south end, a conservatory at the south end, and a porch on the west front.

The exterior presents two storeys. The asymmetrical four-window west front has 20th century casements; on the left are three-lights with earlier 20th century two-light casements above below eyebrow eaves; a 20th century stone open-fronted porch is positioned right of centre with two small casements above and to the right; a single-storey outshut on the right has a lean-to slate roof. The rear (east) elevation features circa earlier and later 20th century one-, two- and three-light casements, some with glazing bars, and a doorway right of centre. The north end gable is plastered timber-frame with a later outshut below. A late 20th century conservatory is located at the south end.

Inside, the lower (south) room has a deeply chamfered cross-beam with large hollow step stops and a later fireplace. A chamfered head-beam serves the missing cross-passage low-side partition. The hall contains a very large stone axial fireplace with a chamfered plinth course to the back, dressed chamfered jambs, a large chamfered timber bressumer and stone corbel above. An inserted framed ceiling with intricately moulded intersecting beams with carpenter's mitres covers the hall. Inner room ceiling beams are boxed in. A circa 18th century simple balustrade sits at the head of the staircase; the staircase itself was replaced in the 20th century. Otherwise the interior joinery is largely 20th century.

The original Medieval roof survives over the high end of the house. A closed truss between the hall and inner room features a cambered collar mortice and tenoned to the principals, a diagonal ridgepiece, and large trenched purlins spanning the hall with an intermediate truss over the inner room chamber. The north end truss has studs and a collar with a hip above. Many of the original common-rafters and some of the thatching battens remain intact. The roof of the hall and the hall side of the closed truss is smoke-blackened; wattle-and-daub infilling above the collar of the closed truss has been removed, which may have caused the light sooting of the inner room chamber roof. The low end of the house is covered by circa 18th century halved, lapped and pegged collar trusses crossed at the apex, the principals of one appearing to be made from re-used smoke-blackened timbers. The thatch is clean.

This is a good example of a small late Medieval open hall house with most of the original roof structure surviving, a fine 16th century hall fireplace, and an early 17th century inserted framed ceiling.