Reasons for Designation
St Andrew's House in Billingshurst is recommended for designation at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural Interest: St Andrew's House dates to the mid C17 or earlier and was originally a three-bay, lobby-entrance, timber-framed cottage with central chimneystack;
* Survival: Despite later extensions and alterations, the timber frame is substantially intact and survives sufficiently to describe the plan and development of the building;
* Group Value: It has group value with the C16 timber-framed cottage Flagstones (Grade II) and C17 or earlier Home Cottage and Webb Cottage (Grade II), all of which are on Stane Street.
Details
BILLINGSHURST
965/0/10073 STANE STREET
26-MAR-10 Bilingshurst
(North side)
St Andrew's House
II
House. Mid C17 or earlier with mid C18 and C20 extensions and additions.
MATERIALS: An oak timber-framed building on Horsham stone and brick plinth. The first floor has been re-clad in clay peg tile, and the ground floor has been rendered on all elevations. The roof is of oak and chestnut timbers in pegged, close coupled rafters with clasped purlins and collars. The roof is covered in clay peg tiles and has two brick chimneystacks. Generally, the windows are C20 wooden casements lacking character.
PLAN: Originally a three-bay two-storey cottage, it currently comprises two parallel ranges, each of three bays. The original entrance was a lobby entrance to the east of the chimneystack. There are secondary entrances in the western and northern elevations.
The original plan was modified in the mid C18 and C20. Building analysis would suggest that the original cottage was extended by the addition of a second identical range to the rear, creating a three-bay by two-bay property in the mid C18, all under a pitched 'M' shaped roof. This extension incorporated a secondary fireplace with a corresponding brick built chimney. In the 1930s the western range was further modified, and extended by approximately 1m in the northern two and a half bays. The original weatherboard cladding remains on the inner wall of the cupboard on the first floor. The pitched roof of this range has been replaced by a flat roof, initially disguising the interest of early fabric inside.
EXTERIOR: Although now clad in clay peg tile, the first floor had previously been weatherboarded, and was originally wattle-and-daub infilled panels. The ground floor, now rendered on all elevations, contains internal evidence of original wattle-and-daub panels as well as some evidence of brick infilling. Fenestration on the front elevation is regular with one three-pane casement in each bay to ground and first floors with the exception of the window over the door, which is a small single light. There is a single window to the southern elevation, a two-pane first-floor casement, lighting the eastern room. The windows to the rear (west) elevation are all multi-pane, with one to each bay to ground and first floors, but of differing sizes. There are no windows to the northern elevation. The doors, in the fire bay in the eastern elevation and central bay on the western elevation, are 1930s in date and have modern timber-framed porches.
INTERIOR: The oak timber frame is visible in all rooms internally. The front, eastern, range retains much of the original frame. Diagonal downbraces can be seen in the first-floor bedrooms. The majority of the original rear (west) ground floor wall frame has been removed in the southern bay but it can be seen at first floor level. Much of the C18 partitioning to the first floor also survives, as do some wide oak floorboards.
The fireplaces all appear to be late C19, albeit in four instances set within the original stack. The principal beams show evidence of shallow chamfers, however, only one beam, of the central frame, had a visible lambs-tongue chamfer stop. This feature alone would suggest an earlier construction date, however, it may be re-used and coupled with the weight and proportions of the timbers a mid C17 date is more probable.
HISTORY: The building appears to be part of the original settlement of Andrew's Hill. There are two other listed buildings that form the core of the settlement in the immediate vicinity of the cottage, including the C16 timber-framed cottage Flagstones (Grade II) and C17 or earlier Home Cottage and Webb Cottage (Grade II). There may, be an even earlier settlement at Andrew's Hill as the houses are situated on the Roman road, running from London to Chichester, of Stane Street.
St Andrew's House is shown on the Ordnance Survey maps from 1876 onwards. The 1938 Ordnance Survey map shows an extension abutting the northern end of the cottage. Although not extant today the stone remains of this can be seen within the garden store, and it is probably contemporary with the extension to the rear, west, of the property.
REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: St Andrew's House in Billingshurst is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural Interest: St Andrew's House dates to the mid C17 or earlier and was originally a three-bay, lobby-entrance, timber-framed cottage with central chimneystack;
* Survival: Despite later extensions and alterations, the timber frame is substantially intact and survives sufficiently to describe the plan and development of the building;
* Group Value: It has good group value with the C16 timber-framed cottage Flagstones (Grade II) and C17 or earlier Home Cottage and Webb Cottage (Grade II), all of which are on Stane Street.
