Reasons for Designation
131/133 Melton High Street is designated at grade II for the following principal reasons:
* As a vernacular building that is pre 1700 in origin and evolved into its current form by 1840.
* For the particular interest in retaining fragments of a possible late medieval timber framed aisled building.
* For group value with the nearby stable/barn to the north of 143-145 Melton High Street which also retains evidence of timber framing.
Details
1026/0/10015 MELTON HIGH STREET
16-OCT-08 West
131-133
GV II
Farmhouse and cottage incorporating fragments of a timber framed aisled building probably of late medieval date, C18 and early C19 alterations and additions. Mainly of rubble stone construction but including areas of brickwork. Modern roof covering not of special interest.
PLAN
The plan form of the building has evolved through its history (see history section). The current plan form of the building is as follows:
The building is of 2 storeys with 2 ranges forming an L shape: An east/west 3 bay range with end stacks fronting onto the road to the north forming 131 Melton High Street; with a lower 3 bay range extending southwards with a single storey outshut to the rear (west) partially filling the angle between the two ranges, with the southern part of this range forming number 133. The front range is a three bay, central stair plan with a central door to the south which opens onto a very narrow hall giving access to the rooms at either end of the range, the dog leg, a stair down to the cellar (behind the central stair, lit by the central ground floor window in the north wall) and, via the outshut, to the northern room of the north/south range, this room having an external door to the east. There is also an entrance in the east gable wall. The cellar has two rooms and is beneath the western-most bay of the building. The rest of the north/south range is undivided and forms number 133 which is a one up one down with the stair placed in the outshut and the external door to the east.
EXTERIOR
North Elevation:
At first appearance this is symmetrical with 3 bays, the central windows being small, raised coped gables with rebuilt end ridge stacks. Closer inspection reveals at least two breaks in the stonework indicating that the 2 right hand bays were added, initially single storey and then raised to 2 storey. The small central windows are stone framed; the larger windows to the outer bays have thin cills with deeper stone lintels, the upper windows retaining 4 pane sashes.
East Elevation:
This is mainly of rubble stonework, but with some patching with brick (mainly C18 or early C19 handmade bricks), along with at least one section of exposed timber (which is probably a former lintel rather than a fragment of timber framing). The elevation is of 4 uneven bays with scattered fenestration and a ridge stack to the centre, the right hand bay now forming the gable end of the east west range. This gable end has a near central doorway with 2 inserted first floor windows. The chimney stack has been rebuilt in machine made brick and rises from the right corner to angle across at attic level to the ridge. The northernmost bay of the north south range has a doorway which is considered to be C17 in date and is formed from heavily weathered, substantial stonework with a deep, monolithic lintel that is supported by composite jambs, the whole opening having a slight chamfer. The door itself is of late C19 or early C20 and is not of particular interest. Immediately to the left there is a later inserted window with a deep stone lintel and shallow cill with later, modern joinery not of special interest. Above, offset to the left, there is another inserted window with a neatly dressed projecting stone cill with margin tooling suggestive of an C18 date. A similar window is at the far south end of the elevation above a doorway that is also considered to be C18 with neatly dressed monolithic jambs supporting a deep lintel. This window retains a 12 pane Yorkshire sliding sash. The central bay of the north south range has an unusually large ground floor window. This appears to be an C18 insertion with an area of handmade brickwork to the side. The window is of 32 panes (8 across by 4 down) with a horizontal sliding sash forming the central lower 2 by 3 panes. Above, offset to the right there is a small window which was boarded over at the time of the inspection.
South Elevation:
The gable end of the north/south range was formerly an internal wall that was plastered on the ground floor and had exposed brickwork (of hand made bricks) on the upper floor that was open to the roof structure. The gable retains sawn off wall plates, double purlins, and a diagonally set ridge beam. The wall plate to the west was originally an aisle plate and is supported by the aisle post and brace that is exposed at the junction between the rear outshut and the north south range. The brickwork is of several phases and is mainly of hand made bricks.
The south elevation of the east west range has a near central door which appears inserted and is cramped by the rear outshut. Above, slightly to the east is a small window. Larger windows occupy the bay to the west at both ground and first floor levels, the upper floor retaining a 4 pane sash.
West Elevation:
The gable end of the east west range is rendered. It has a single opening, a 4 pane sash to the right on the ground floor.
The west elevation of the north south range is mainly covered by the rear outshut which has a straight joint in the stonework, suggestive that it was built in 2 phases. It has 2 windows, the one to the right being smaller and set higher. This lights the stair to number 133. The outshut at one time continued further south, but this has been truncated, exposing a former internal wall of hand made brickwork. This is adjacent to the exposed aisle post and represents several phases of construction and alteration.
INTERIOR
The north south range retains broad floor boards to the first floor and exposed beams that are plain and not chamfered. The east west range retains early C19 architraves, with most other internal joinery in the building being modern and not of special interest. The roof structure of the northern part of the north south range appears to be a coupled rafter construction without purlins. The east west range and the southern part of the north south range is double purlined with ridge beams all spanning between masonry walls. Although the roof structure includes some modern sawn timber, most is hewn timber. Pegged housings in some of the rafters in the east west range suggest that there was a raised loft floor at some time or that these timbers are reused.
HISTORY
The building is thought to be late medieval in origin, a timber framed, aisled construction. This was encased in stonework, probably before 1700, certainly by the mid C18. The doorway with the heavily weathered composite jambs is thought to date to the C17 and may have been at one end of a cross passage, with a central hearth in the position of the later central chimney stack. Most of the other openings in the north south range are thought to be C18 insertions. The east end of the east west range is thought to be a rebuild of the northern end of the original building. This was then extended to the west with a single storey above a cellar. This extension was then raised to two storeys and the frontage modelled to be symmetrical, probably in the late C18 or early C19. It is speculated that this last remodelling was the result of improved finances following the parliamentary enclosure of the open fields which occurred in 1814. The cottage to the rear may have at one time been used for commercial purposes, possibly as a shop or workshop, explaining the unusually large size of the ground floor window.
REASON FOR DESIGNATION
131/133 Melton High Street is designated at grade II for the following principal reasons:
* As a vernacular building that is pre 1700 in origin and evolved into its current form by 1840.
* For the particular interest in retaining fragments of a possible late medieval timber framed aisled building.
* For group value with the nearby stable/barn to the north of 143-145 Melton High Street which also retains evidence of timber framing.
