Moat Farmhouse

Details

TQ 64 NW CAPEL WHETSTEAD ROAD, FIVE OAK GREEN

1/313 Moat Farmhouse 20.10.54 II

Farmhouse, formerly a moated site. Late C16/early C17 (probably earlier origins), service end rebuilt in the late C17/early C18, some minor C19 and C20 modernisation. Timber-framed. Most of the ground floor is underbuilt with Flemish bond brick in more than one phase. Above first floor level is still timber-framed; it is clad with peg-tile on the front and left end but the end and rear of the service end is exposed framing nogged with brick. Brick stacks and chimneyshafts, the lower part of the main hall/parlour chimneyshaft is of old brick. Peg-tile roof.

Plan and Development: L-plan house. The main block faces south east. It has a 3-room-and-cross-passage plan. Parlour at the left (south west) end. Next to it is a large hall. Axial stack between hall and parlour serves back-to- back fireplaces. The lower (right) end of the hall is now screened off as a cross passage from the front door to the main stair rising in a stairblock projecting to rear. At the right (north east) end is a 2-room plan kitchen crosswing, flush at the front and projecting to rear. An axial stack between these 2 rooms-was built to service the rear kitchen.

The hall and parlour section is the oldest part and the roof structure suggests that it may be the product of 2 phases but both are probably late C16/early C17. House was enlarged in the late C17/early C18. At that time the house assumed its present layout. The kitchen crosswing and the stairblock was added. The present front doorway appears to date from this time although it was then, it seems, direct entry since the passage screen is a C19 or early C20 insertion. The outshots probably date from this period but may be earlier. House is 2 storeys with attics in the roofspace.

Exterior: Irregular 4-window front of C19 and C20 casements with glazing bars, the older ones hinged from the top. Front doorway is right of centre It has a late C17/early C18 oak frame with a bead-moulded surround and contains the original plank door (attractive with alternate narrow canted-face planks). The original iron work includes hoops on the inside for a draw-bar. Early C20 monopitch hood. The doorway is cut through a blocked window. The older brick to left includes decorative burnt headers whereas the window blocking and brick to right (probably late C17/early C18) does not. The roof is half-hipped to left and hipped to right. The side of the crosswing, the right end, is underbuilt with C20 brick. The late C17/early C18 frame above has relatively slight scantling with straight braces and includes many reused timbers. A couple of blocked original windows show.

Interior: Contains a great deal of C16 and C17 carpentry detail. Both parlour and hall have 4-panel intersecting beam ceilings, all chamfered with bar-runout stops. The parlour fireplace is blocked behind a C19 chimneypiece but the hall fireplace is plastered with an oak lintel with a low Tudor arch- There is evidence of a stairway rising to rear of the parlour. The rear wall close-studded frame is exposed in the outshots. There are no windows but there is a blocked doorway to the parlour; it has a segmental arch head with moulded surround and on its spandrels are carved a series of symbols including the letter T. The rooms above have plain chamfered crossbeams on massive wallposts. These are tie beams and once were arch-braced. First floor framing in this section was large panels with large curving tension braces. First floor fireplaces are blocked. Hall and parlour have different roof constructions. Both are 2 bays with collared tie-beam trusses with clasped side purlins and small curving windbraces but parlour truss has small plain arch braces and the hall truss has queen struts. Attic floor joists over the hall chamber include trimmers for hatches and there is in the attic a wooden hoist of indeterminate date.

The late C17/early C18 section has generally plainer carpentry of lesser scantling. On the first floor dragon beams to the end corners. 2 parallel roofs of collared tie-beam trusses with staggered butt purlins. Kitchen fireplace is blocked. At the back of the passage a chamfered oak doorframe to the stairblock and late C17/early C18 winder stair.

Moat Farmhouse is an attractive and interesting farmhouse. The farmer has old photographs of the place from before the last part of the moat was infilled and before some impressive traditional farmbuildings were demolished.

Listing NGR: TQ6456345909

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

437520

Legacy System:

LBS

End of official list entry

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