Details
WEST FARLEIGH LOWER ROAD
TQ 75 SW
(East side)
2/20 West Farleigh
27-7-52 Hall (formerly listed as
Smith's Hall)
GV I
Country house. Dated 1719 on a rainwater-head, with late C18 additions.
Yellowish-red brick, with brighter rubbed red brick dressings, detailing
and "chainâge". Plain tile roof. Double depth. 2 storeys, on moulded
brick plinth. Moulded and dentilled brick eaves cornice. Giant Doric
pilasters to each end of facade and four towards centre (one pair
delineating three-bay entrance hall, the other, closer in, flanking the
central first-floor window). Parapet with chamfered rendered coping and
with plain pilasters alternating with recessed chamfered panels. Hipped
roof, hips returning to rear with slightly lower ridges. Rear stack to
left and another towards centre. Gable-end stack to right. Regular
9-window (3:3:3) front of slightly-recessed twelve-pane sashes with
moulded wooden architraves, cambered heads, and splayed rubbed brick
voussoirs dropped slightly at centre to suggest keystones. Similar
windows to ground floor, but with raised keystones, and with cut ogee
soffits to voussoirs of windows flanking door. Doubly-recessed
rectangular panels, each with strip of plat band towards centre, and with
moulded "cill", between ground and first-floor windows. Smaller doubly-
recessed panels under ground-floor windows. Central early C18 double
doors, each of five fielded panels. Late Cl8 porch, with moulded and
modillioned broken-based triangular pediment on columns with fluted and
reeded capitals up five steps with moulded treads. Door lintel lowered
when porch added, concealing top panel of each door. Blind late Cl8
oculus immediately above architrave. Left return elevation: red and
grey brick in Flemish bond. Galleted ragstone plinth. Giant Doric
pilaster to each end, that to front returned from front elevation. Plat
band. Moulded brick eaves cornice. Parapet with recessed red brick panels,
plain end pilasters, and plain coping. Regular fenestration of five
twelve-pane sashes with straight heads, in open boxes and with splayed
rubbed brick voussoirs. Right return elevation: also red and grey brick
in Flemish bond, but possibly a slightly later re-facing. High brick
plinth. Dentilled brick eaves cornice. Blind arcading, rising through
plat band, and incorporating small blocked window with splayed rubbed brick
voussoirs towards front. Blocked window above it on first floor, and
six-pane sash towards rear. Later two-storey brick bay towards centre.
Roof hipped to rear, hip returning along rear of house. Rear elevation:
also arcaded, with plat band, cornice, two six-pane first-floor sashes
and one obscured window. Central rear wing: probably on earlier
foundations (see 1719 engraving in Country Life, 21.9.1967). Right (south)
elevation: style and materials similar to rear and right return elevations
of main range. Three six-pane first-floor sashes with splayed rubbed
brick voussoirs. Central ridge stack. Doors of six flush panels with
four-light rectangular fanlights and segmental heads, within arcading
(one under stack). At rear end, wing returns to right again, in same
style, with hipped roof, three six-pane first-floor sashes, and similar
central door. Right (south) gable end of this wing is also arcaded, with
three six-pane first-floor sashes and with pump. Left (north) side of
central rear wing is not arcaded, but has plain parapet and three twelve-
pane sashes. Interior: entrance hall of two-storey height with unusual
balustraded gallery or landing with enriched and moulded string, twisted
balusters and moulded handrail, running along rear wall. At each end, the
gallery bows forwards before rising six steps to the first-floor rooms.
The steps have moulded treads, enriched cheeks, and a wreathed balustrade
to the rear side. Where the main balustrade changes direction, there is in
each case a cluster of four slender balusters sharing the same vase base
and Corinthian capital. At the right end, the hall is extended back into
the rear pile to take an open-well, open-string staircase with moulded
cheeks and treads, twisted balusters and wreathed, moulded handrail,
rising to the rear side of the gallery (which forms a bridge across the
front of the stairwell). Ramped raised and moulded dado panelling to
stairwell, and extending along rear of gallery. Fielded panelling under
gallery(except to right), flush with front of string, and also to rest of
hall, where it is corniced at first-floor level. Panelling under gallery
is backed on closet side by C17-style panelling. Giant fluted Corinthian
pier interrupting and supporting gallery balustrade to centre. Panelled
doors to left and right ground-floor rooms, that to right smaller and with
sunk panels. Early C18 panelled first-floor door to centre of rear wall of
gallery. Panelled archway with moulded imposts and keystone at head of
each flight of stairs from gallery to first-floor rooms. Panelled and
corniced ground-floor room to left. Smaller ground-floor room to right
(the hall is slightly asymmetrical) with round-headed niches, glazed with
radiating glazing bars, flanking fireplace. Small rear ground-floor
room to left fitted with late C18 library shelving, and with 'bas-relief'
portrait of Locke over small corner fireplace, all from The Rookery,
Bromley Common (demolished 1946). Panelled first-floor rooms to left and
right. C18 fireplaces. Panelled window shutters. Known in Cl8 as Smith's
Hall. (Country Life 11th May 1918,14th and 21st September 1967).
Listing NGR: TQ7137452948
