Guildhall Place

Summary

A timber-framed building, possibly constructed as a guildhall or similar public building in the late C15 or early C16, re-sited and used for agricultural purposes from the mid-C19, re-roofed in the C20, renovated and incorporated into a dwelling in 2008-2010. The attached C21 weatherboarded porch on a brick plinth, which leads into a barn, probably of the C16 but modified in the C18 or C19, both of which form part of the same dwelling, are excluded from the listing.

Reasons for Designation

Guildhall Place, formerly listed as the outbuilding 50m east south east of Lodge Farm House, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural interest: the house retains a significant proportion of good quality historic timber frame of the late C15 or C16. Features such as the renovated mullion windows, door openings, wattle and daub panels and evidence of shutter grooves confer considerable aesthetic and architectural merit;
* Historic interest: the dwelling may have originated as a public building, adding to our understanding of the construction and evolution of this building type once common in the medieval and early post-medieval periods;
* Group value: with Lodge Farm House to the west (Grade II) contributes to the special interest of the house.

History

When the building was listed it was associated with Lodge Farm and described as early C16 stabling with loft accommodation, converted to a barn. Lodge Farm was a steading which may have encroached onto the south side of a small medieval green; the C16 farmhouse to the west is listed at Grade II. The outbuilding is not illustrated on the Tithe Map of 1838; it is thought to have been moved to its current location in the mid C19 when the steading at Lodge farm expanded.

The building was renovated between 2008 and 2010, and incorporated with a much altered, unlisted C16 four-bay barn to the south-west, into a dwelling known as Guildhall Place. The two once separate elements are linked by a C21 porch. As a result of an archaeological recording exercise as part of the planning and listed building consent for the renovation (Alston, January 2008) additional information has come to light. By comparison with other vernacular building types, Alston opines that the building may have been constructed in the late-C15 and had a public function akin to a guildhall, market hall or manorial court. It was subsequently removed and reused at Lodge Farm, and perhaps other settings previously, attested by two phases of carpenters’ marks.

Accordingly, the structure has been altered historically and more recently; the earliest form is thought to have had two storeys and a queen-post roof. Most of the wall panels and some of the timber frame has been replaced.

Details

A three bay, single-storey, timber-framed building, possibly constructed as a guildhall or similar public building in the late C15 or early C16, re-sited and used for agricultural purposes from the mid C19, re-roofed in the C20, renovated and incorporated into a dwelling in 2008-2010.

MATERIALS: timber framed on a brick plinth with external render, tiled roof.

PLAN: linear range.

EXTERIOR: the building measures approximately 8m x 4m, and has a gable roof with a C21 modillion cornice to the long east and west elevations, and barge boards to the north and south. The principal east elevation has two of the original external door entrances curtailed with external shutters of the C21, and restored three-light mullion windows to the ground and first floors. The west elevation has restored mullions of two, three, and five lights and a door opening into the C21 porch attached to the south end, which wraps around the south end of the rear elevation and links the building to the unlisted barn to the south-west. The north gable end has a restored five-light mullion in the apex.

INTERIOR: all the main timbers are chamfered; the sole plate, some sections of wall plate and mid rail, and some studs were replaced in the C21. The C20 roof comprises principal rafters with purlins. The wall frames have close studding with mid-rails and arched bracing halved inside studs, wall and sole plates, jointed and pegged, and seven restored diamond mullioned windows with shutter grooving on all walls on both levels. The entrances to the east elevation have probable 4-centred arched heads and there are arched braces from jowled and rebated posts to sharply cambered tie beams in one of which the uprights of a queen post remained prior to restoration, these having been removed to accommodate a new queen post roof structure.The storey posts contain well-cut mortices for binding joists to a second floor frame. Some wattle and daub panels survive and the timber frame bears two phases of carpenters’ marks and evidence of singeing from candles.

The attached C21 weatherboarded porch on a brick plinth, which leads into a barn, probably of the C16 but modified in the C18 or C19, both of which form part of the same dwelling, are excluded from the listing.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

279595

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Other
Lodge Farm, Wyverstone, Suffolk: Archaeological Report. Leigh Alston, January 2008.

End of official list entry

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