Brenchley Manor

Details

TQ 64 SE BRENCHLEY BRENCHLEY ROAD, BRENCHLEY

6/38 Brenchley Manor (formerly listed as The Old Parsonage) 20.10.54 GV II*

Large house. C16 or earlier origins with substantial alterations and additions of 1912-14 form Mr C.H. Allfrey (Oswald). Close-studded framed construction; peg-tile roof; brick stacks.

Plan: The house faces east. The main range is 3 rooms on plan with an entrance to right of centre, probably originally into a cross passage. High quality hall to the left of the entry, with a rear lateral stack, fine parlour beyond at the east end, also heated from a rear lateral stack. The lower end is a small service room, originally unheated. It is difficult to judge how much of the surviving house, apart from the main range, dates from the C16. Behind the main block further rooms, including service rooms, are housed under a 3 span roof at right angles, the rear completed by a block parallel to the main range. The house was thoroughly restored between 1912 and 1914, when the rear left (north west) wing was added in a style to match the main block and a stair hall was incorporated to the rear of the C16 hall. The alterations matched the style of the original externally and incorporated features imported from elsewhere, obscuring the service rooms to the original house. The roof construction is wholly C20.

Exterior: 2 storeys. Asymmetrical 3 window north front, the roof half-hipped at ends. Most of the chimneyshafts are early C20, the parlour stack is handmade brick with a staggered shaft. The close-studded framing was exposed in circa 1912 and most of the studs are renewed. The first floor is jettied with a moulded fascia - one of the jetty brackets has a roll-moulding and the left end (south) corner has a triple bracket. The porch, to right of centre, is probably largely early C20, re-using old timbers. It has a flat lead roof with a moulded cornice, the deep eaves carried on dragon beams and curved braces. The outer doorway has moulded jambs and a replaced lintel. The richly-moulded inner doorframe is probably C16 with a Tudor arched head and delicately-carved spandrels. Fine C16 ledged front door with moulded overlapping planks fixed with studs. Windows largely early C20 but incorporating old timbers, some of which may belong to original windows in situ. 3 first floor regularly-spaced 4-light ovolo-moulded mullioned windows, the centre window flanked by smaller 2-light millioned windows, all glazed with early C20 square leaded panes. Similar transomed ground floor windows to the left of the porch, ground floor window right is 2-light and transomed. Projecting right end stack is probably C20. The left return of the main range is also jettied with similar C20 windows including a 3-light attic window. Beyond the main block the 3-window early C20 wing is also jettied and close- studdied with a gable to the front at the left end. The rear (west) elevation of the wing is also jettied with a 2-span roof. The rear right wing is brick with large sash windows and may date from the C19. At the rear right end of the house a single-storey north west wing is built of handmade brick and probably C18 in date.

Interior: The main range preserves very high quality C16 carpentry and panelling. The hall has a ceiling of richly-moulded intersecting beams, a crossbeam marking the hall/passge division, for which there is no longer a partition. Fine rear doorway to the former cross passage with a richly- moulded frame and elaborate stops; richly-moulded doorframe with bar stops from the passage into the lower end room. Moulded stone hall fireplace with a Tudor arched lintel. The inner room parlour is fully panelled with 5 tiers of linenfold crowned with a Renaissance frieze of arabesques and profile heads. There has been some debate about the date (early or late C16) of the linenfold and whether it is in situ (Oswald). The wainscotting is divided into bays by classical pilasters and a panel over the door is dated 1573. The moulded timber cornice abuts the moulded 4-panel ceiling beams rather awkwardly. Fine Tudor arched moulded stone fireplace flanked by Ionic pilasters in the wainscot. The overmantel has a cranked arch, the spandrels filled with lively carvings depicting a man being bitten by a monster on one side and a woman with a club in control of a similar monster on the other. A tier of 6 carved panels above is divided by Ionic pilasters, the moulded panels with lions' heads carved in relief, the centre 2 panels with the arms and initials of Elizabeth Fane who had the Manor as her dower house following the death of her husband in 1571. Her memorial in Brenchley church records that "her memorable hospitalitie made her famous and renowned". Above the carved panels a frieze of arabesques is divided by carved brackets. The lower end room has been sub- divided and has a plain chamfered crossbeam. The C16 house evidently extended further to the rear (south) since a moulded C16 doorframe leads from an extension of the cross passage into what is now the stair hall. This contains an early Georgian style stair, said to have been introduced in the early C20 (Oswald) with an open string, a moulded ramped handrail and replaced balusters. The heavy egg-and-dart cornice in the stair hall is probably early C20. The other rooms mostly have chimneypieces of the early C20 or 1980s. The single-storey rear wing has a probably C18 tie-beam and queen strut roof. The chamber over the hall on the first floor has a moulded stone fireplace surround with a Tudor arched lintel.

Roof: All the roofs except the rear wing parallel to the main range are C20. The rear wing roof was not accessible at time of survey (1988).

Extremely high quality interior features of the C16 in the main range make this a house of special interest.

Source Oswald, A., 'Brenchley, Kent. 2', Country Life, June 7, 1946.

Listing NGR: TQ6759542105

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

430800

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Country Life in 7 June, (1946)

End of official list entry

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