Manor Cottage the Old Manor House

Details

ALDBURY STOCKS ROAD SP 9612 (West side) 12/17 No.9 (The Old Manor House) 14.5.52 and No.13 (Manor Cottage) (formerly listed as No. 9 (Manor House)) GV II* House (never a manor house) now 2 houses. Circa 1500, open hall house of unusual form, for either Henry Winch or for Russell family, '1516' in spandrel of hall fireplace, 2 storeys N extension, several fireplaces, and floors inserted in hall, and in kitchen in rear wing, in mid C17 (before 1663 when Bennet Winch paid tax for 5 hearths: his initials on main stack). Large projecting S chimney early C18. By 1722 described as a house and 2 cottages. Timber frame on red brick sill with red brick infill, plastered in central bays on 1st floor front, and red brick casing to ground floor and S wall of rear wing. Steep old red tile roofs. An irregular 2-storeys L-shaped building facing E over the village pond. Deep single hall bay has jettied parlour bay to N and C17 jettied extension with lean-to and outshut to N of it. Higher gabled S crosswing has wide entrance door into former crosspassage below jettied 1st floor with entrance to hall beyond back of massive chimney stack serving the hall. Lower 2-storeys rear wing has 2-bays kitchen, formerly open to roof, and storeyed W end bay for cook above storage. 4 windows long E front with flush cast-iron lattice casements to 1st floor, one to each bay defined by the exposed timber framing. The face of the close-studded jettied 1st floor of the parlour bay is in the same plane as the front of the close-studded hall bay (lower part faced in brick) a most unusual feature proved original by the framing of the members. The higher jetty of the N extension has wide-spaced studs, as does the 1st floor of the S crosswing although its gable triangle over has close-studding. The ground floor is faced in brick with tall 2-light small-paned casement windows one to each bay, but flanked by high 3-light ovolo moulded leaded windows to the parlour, and with leaded glazing to the right of the plank door to the N extension (No. 13). Fine hollow-chamfered 4-centred wide doorway in S crosswing with sunk spandrels and old battened oak door with iron hinges. The S side of this crosswing has exposed 1st floor framing with wide-spaced studs and curved tension braces set low to allow small corner windows. Large projecting C18 chimney. C17 header-bond brickwork to ground floor to W of chimney but C18 brick with blue headers and Flemish-bond to E of chimney. 2 storeys lower W range has red brick chequered with blue headers, floor band, and segmental arches to 3 flush 2-light casement windows on each floor, leaded above but cast-iron lattices below. Interior has narrowed rear door to crosspassage, no structural division of S service bay, S stair in original position, chamfered doorway to hall, axial chamfered and stopped beam to floor inserted in hall, wide fireplace with depressed 4-centred stone arch with date on E spandrel, irregular studding in N wall, C17 oak mitred panelling to parlour with arcaded panels over fireplace, ovolo moulded N fireplace in parlour (stack formerly projected outside), stair originally on W wall replaced by stair turret in early C17. Chamber over parlour formerly plastered under collars, and hall roof little smoke- blackened. Fireplace to chamber over hall scratched with 'James Partridge 174?'. Rear wing has smoke-blackened clasped-purlin roof of 2 bays and a third W bay with floor lower than the inserted floor over the kitchen. This has a chamfered cross-beam and elaborate hollow double stop with nick. Plain small square flue to kitchen fireplace probably a replacement for one on N wall. 4-centred fireplace with sunk spandrels in chamber over S crosswing with 3-light diamond mullioned S window. RCHM suggest it is a highly unusual house which may represent an hitherto unrecognised type. (RCHM(1911)31 no. 3: RCHM Typescript).

Listing NGR: SP9645612490

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

355653

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Other
Inventory of the Historical Monuments of Hertfordshire, (1910)

End of official list entry

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