Description

HILDENBOROUGH NIZELS LANE (north side)
TQ 55 SW
1/175 Nizels Farm Cottage

GV II

Former farmhouse. Circa early C17. Framed construction, the ground floor
framing replaced with brick, the first floor tile-hung; peg-tile roof; brick
stack.

Plan and Development: The house faces south south west, say south. The
original plan form is largely intact: a lobby entrance arrangement, 3 rooms
wide. The rear outshut appears to be integral with the original build at the
near right (north east) end and may be coeval throughout. The principal rooms
are parlour, to the left (west) of the entrance with a slightly larger
hall/kitchen to the right, both heated from back-to-back fireplaces in the
axial stack. There is a small buttery the extreme right hand end. There is
evidence that the original stair rose within the parlour, against- the rear
wall. The chamber over the parlour was heated from the outset and the attic
storey was used for accommodation with a C17 stair to it. The ground floor
framing was replaced in brick, probably in 2 phases, in the late C19/early
C20. The house was divided into 2 cottages in the early C20. Later
alterations have involved the addition of a small single-storey rear right
(north east) wing at right angles to the main block and a main stair rising
within the outshut against the rear wall of the principal rooms.

Exterior: 2 storeys and attic. Asymmetrical 3-window front with a C20 timber
glazed door to the lobby entrance to left of centre. Set of 2- and 3-light
circa late C19/early C20 timber casements with glazing bars. The axial stack
has staggered shafts with vertical ribs and corbelled caps. Both returns have
C19 or C20 attic windows, the left return with a late C20 ground floor timber
casement, the right return with a C20 door to the outshut, similar to the
front door but with a flat porch hood. Hipped roof dormer to the rear
elevation, which has C19 or C20 timber casements to the outshut. Roof half-
hipped at ends and carried down as a catslide to the outshut.

Interior: Well-preserved. Both the principal ground floor rooms have
chamfered, step-stopped ceiling beams - a cross beam to the parlour and a
longitudinal beam in the kitchen - and original fireplaces with chamfered oak
lintels. The parlour fireplace has curved corners to the fireplace, the
larger kitchen fireplace has evidence of a bread oven. On the first floor
there is an original plain brick fireplace to the chamber over the parlour.
Complete set of original floorboards to the first floor, the attic floor is
supported on longitudinal beams with scroll stops. The oak winder stair to
the attic has plain, stout balusters and a newel post with a moulded splat
ball finial. Above the attic stair the wall plate thickens into a neatly-
finished jowl-like projection. Where the wall framing is exposed it is of
large scantling, most of the jowls roughly-finished and flared but one, in the
front wall, is square-cut and chamfered. There is evidence of some
reconstruction of the wall framing on the rear wall of the parlour. Original
joinery includes numerous C17 ledged plank doors with handmade strap hinges.

Roof: Most of the roof timbers are concealed. 2 queen posts or struts and a
straining beam of slender scantling are visible over the right (east) end of
the house, pegged together but difficult to date accurately without a sight of
any other timbers.

A well-preserved traditional house with much of its original plan form intact
and a good survival of interior features.

Listing NGR: TQ5452650091

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26324257

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook 2 Books Bundle Collection (Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair,Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability)
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)