Brookside

Details

LEONARD STANLEY

1862/0/10008 BROOKSIDE 11-JUN-07

GV II House, late C17, with a number of later alterations including an early C19 extension.

MATERIALS: Largely brick with stone quoins and a stone gable west end. Modern concrete tile roof.

EXTERIOR: The two-storey house has its principal elevation to the north. It comprises three sections, each with a separate roof structure: to the west, a single bay with a brick front, which may have originated as a timber-framed building; a two-cell central section of the late C17; and a single bay to the east of the early C19, which is of lesser interest. The fenestration across the western and central sections is consistent, possibly reflecting a late C17 re-fronting, and the regularly-spaced window openings have flat gauged brick arches and projecting stone keystones dating from a mid-late C18 remodelling. There have been a number of alterations: the windows are C20 replacements; additional windows have been inserted to the ground floor; there is a modern porch; and one of the original openings (which appears to have been a door) has been bricked-in. Stone quoins mark the division between the central section and the C19 extension and also terminate the elevation at the western end. To the rear elevation, the western bay projects slightly reflecting the wider truss of its roof which was retained when the house was refaced and extended; this bay is framed by stone quoins, which also mark the eastern end of the central section. The fenestration across the western and central sections is similar to the northern elevation but has simple header brick lintels. A modern doorway has been inserted in one of the window openings, although the off-centre filled-in original doorway is visible. A low lean-to extension of the C18 or early C19 wraps around the south-western corner of the building. The stone west gable, which dates from the C17 or C18, has a blocked single light window of the first floor with a timber lintel and a brick chimney stack, inserted in the late C18 or later. It rests on a stone plinth, which may have been the foundation of a timber-framed building. The brick east gable, dating from the C19 has a brick chimney breast.

INTERIOR: The western bay, which was originally a single room on each storey, has a flagstone floor, a cased beam of uncertain date supporting each ceiling and mid-C20 partitions on the ground floor. The roof retains its original A-frame truss, though the majority of the purlins are replacements. A brick gable wall separates this bay from the central part of the house, although there are openings on each floor at the southern end of the gable. The central section largely retains its original plan which comprises a cross passage running between a hall and a parlour. A passage giving access to the eastern extension was created in the early C19 when the doorway to the parlour was moved. The original roof survives, as do several beams which have narrow chamfers and scroll stops, although the attic has been damaged by fire. There are three fireplace openings, although the grates have been removed; the large kitchen hearth has stone jambs and a chamfered timber beam with scrolled stops. The only stair, located in between the kitchen hearth and the northern wall, is a winder staircase which is thought to date to the C17, although its upper flight has been damaged in a recent fire. The parlour contains in-built cupboards and a window seat. There is also a cross-type window in the hall which may date from the late C17 or early C18.

HISTORY: The precise origins of Brookside are uncertain, but it appears to have been a small C17 house, possibly timber-framed, which was extended and re-fronted in brick in the late C17 when it became three bay house with a cross passage between the eastern and central rooms. In the mid-late C18 the windows were remodelled and flat gauged brick arches added; sash windows may also have been inserted at this time. In the early C19 a further bay was added to the eastern end and the internal plan altered accordingly. The footprint has not changed since this date, although there have been a number of C20 alterations. It is not clear whether Brookside has always been a single dwelling. While it is likely to have been built as such, a report in the Journal of the Gloucestershire Society for Industrial Archaeology illustrates an 1830 Enclosure map which labels the building 'Tannery Cottages (The Bird¿s Nest, Brookside)' and the Ordnance Survey map of 1883 shows it as having four parts. The evidence of two doors to the north elevation suggests that that there may have once been at least two dwellings.

REASON FOR DESIGNATION: Brookside is designated at Grade II as it retains a significant proportion of late C17 fabric, including the brick elevations with their elegant stone quoins, a substantial proportion of the roof timbers, a number of chamfered beams, a stone and brick hearth, and a winder staircase.

SOURCES: Unpublished reports by the Gloucestershire Buildings Recording Group (Nigel Paterson and Mike Hemming) and David Newton (2006) Unpublished building analysis report by Linda Hall (2005) Stephen Mills, 'Leonard Stanley Tannery: a preliminary report', Gloucestershire Society for Industrial Archaeology Journal (1991) 'Leonard Stanley: Introduction', A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 10: Westbury and Whitstone Hundreds (1972), 257-59

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

503722

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
A History of the County of Gloucester in Leonard Stanley Introduction.Westbury and Whitstone Hundreds, Vol. 10, (1972), 257-59
Mills, S, Gloucestershire Society for Industrial Archaeology Journal in Leonard Stanley Tannery: A Preliminary Report, (1991)

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.