Details
STONDON MASSEY
TQ59NE BLACKMORE ROAD
723-1/5/535 (North side)
20/02/76 Soap House
(Formerly Listed as:
BRENTWOOD
BLACKMORE ROAD, Stondon Massey
Soap House)
II
House. Early C17, early C20. Timber-framed, roughcast
rendered, mock framing moulded in rendering, peg-tiled roof.
Rectangular plan with additions at E end.
2 storeys and attic. Rear N side has slight projecting
cross-wing at E and stair tower with addition projecting
behind principal stack which is off centre to W and is early
C20 rebuild of 4, diagonally set, conjoined shafts. Secondary
stack, early C20 twin diagonally set shafted, on E end wall of
main block. Behind stack, 2-storeyed gabled extension to E,
lower than principal block. In front of stack is simple
lean-to, C18/19 studding with brick infilling. S front
elevation, 3 conjoined gables in 3 bays. W gable projecting.
Below the gable, bay window on ground and first floors. Middle
bay has an early C20 mid-height lean-to pentice roof,
peg-tiled, on timber posts, ground-floor bay window below. All
the windows of the front and many of the sides and rear are of
one early C20 refurbishment. Front windows, all casements with
large lower pane and upper glazing bars creating 4 minor
panes. Ground floor W-E, bay window, 4-light and single side
lights, doorway, moulded architrave, door 4 panels, upper 2
glazed with leaded lights, each 3x5 panes. Bay window, 4-light
and single side lights. Window, 3-light with exterior
shutters. First floor, W-E, bay window, 4-light and single
side lights, 2 3-light windows with exterior shutters and
between them a narrow fixed casement.
Rear, N elevation. Principal block gable roofed and partly
weatherboarded with stair tower rising to attic in line with
stack. To E large gable end of cross-wing with side out-shut
towards stair tower. Small rendered stack on N side of
lean-to. Also simple lean-to porch, weatherboarded with side
entry door. Second door to addition at E end, framed and
boarded, upper glazing with glazing bars, 2x3 panes. Windows
of early C20 type, casements, irregular. To W of stair tower,
ground floor 3-light window with shutters. Above, 2-light
window, glazing bars, 2x2 panes. Stair tower, 2 single
casements, one on each floor, upper one with shutters. To W
side single casement, 2 panes and above, single casement with
one pane. Cross wing gable and side out-shut. Ground floor,
casements, one 2-light with shutters, one 3-light in porch,
one 2-light. Addition to E, one 2-light with shutters on first
floor. W gable elevation, ground floor lean-to porch with
early C20 French doors, 3 panes per leaf and half depth side
lights all combined under arched head. First floor 2 twin C20
fixed lights with shutters. Attic window, 2-light casement
with shutters, glazing bars, creating 2 minor upper panes. E
end elevation. Ground floor 2-light casement in out-shut. 2
2-light casements in attic gable, glazing bars, 2x2 panes,
moulded architrave.
INTERIOR construction considerably concealed by early C20
refurbishment and W projecting gable of that time. Cross-wing
to E end original and also the stair tower, although it now
houses an early C20 stair and has been built out and deepened
to N to provide small rooms. Principal joists are revealed in
each of the original 3 bays, all having lamb's tongue chamfer
stops and at the rear of the centre bay within the out-shut 2
original window openings survive, the upper one on the first
floor with ovolo-moulded mullions with internal hollow chamfer
moulding. The roof of the main range of butt side purlin and
rafter type. E cross-wing roof much rebuilt and some butt
side-purlin construction. Also reused sooted rafters with
skewed collar trenches (possibly from an earlier open hall
house on the site).
HISTORICAL NOTE: the main range and cross-wing appear to be of
one build, c1600, and the house of the lobby entrance type,
the cross-wing being at the low end. The other elements,
rebuilt diagonally set chimney shafts, and 2 storey and attic
stair tower are in keeping in style and date. A photograph
published in 1906 shows the house without the W projecting
gable at the high end and other enrichment of the S front. The
original principal stack existed of the same form as the
present one. The house had a very thorough refacing after
1906. Soap is known to have been made here between 1790-1820
or just previously.
(Reeve EHL: A History of Stondon Massey: 1906-).
Listing NGR: TQ5850299762
