Description

The following building shall be upgraded:

TQ 94 SW BETHERSDEN PLUCKLEY ROAD
14/54 Pimphurst Farmhouse
GV II*
Farmhouse. Circa early C16, remodelled in circa late C16 or early C17 and again
in late C17 or early C18 and extended in circa early C19; some later C19 and C20
alterations.

North east front range weatherboarded timber frame on ragstone rubble plinth and
with hipped plain tile roof with an external red brick stack. The original south
west range at the back, the original timber-framed walls which have been rebuilt
in late C17 or early C18 in random almost Flemish bond red brick on a ragstone
rubble plinth; the brickwork at the north west end is C19. Flemish bond. The
south west range has steeply pitched hipped roof with small tile-hung gablets and
a circa C18 red brick axial stack with a moulded brick cornice. Plan and development:
The existing house has a 3-room plan rear (north west) range of 1 storey and attic,
the central hall heated from an axial stack at its lower right (north west) end,
but the inner (left) room which is open to the roof and lower (right) end room
are unheated. The staircase is on the north east side of the hall stack rising
from the hall. There is a small single storey outshut porch at the right (north
west) end and at the front a parallel 2-room plan addition, now one large room,
heated from a stack at the right (north west) end. The rear range is the medieval
house, originally open to the roof from end to end. It was of 2 or 3-room plan,
its lower service end to the right (north west). It is uncertain whether the small
inner room at the higher left end was originally separated from the hall, but if
there was originally a partition it was not full height and it allowed smoke from
the open hearth fire to drift into the roof at this end. The second phase, possibly
in late C16 or early C17, involved the flooring of the lower right hand end which
was either coeval with or a little earlier than the insertion of a timber framed
stack, situated in a position which is either in the lower end of the hall or in
the through passage, the original position of which is uncertain. The third main
phase of the development, is circa late C17 or early C18, was the insertion of
a floor over the hall, while leaving the inner room open to the roof, the
replacement of the timber-framed stack with a brick stack and the rebuilding of
the external walls in brick, possibly leaving the lower north west end walls
timber-framed. The lower end walls would have been rebuilt in circa early C19 when
a 2 storey 2-room plan range was added to the front, the left hand room unheated,
but the larger right hand room has an end stack; and between the 2 rooms the front
doorway gave into a cross-passage which lead to the putative passage doorway of
the original house; the partitions between the 2 rooms in the front range have
been removed to form one large room. Late in the C19 a small outshut and porch
was built on the lower north west end wall of the original range. Exterior: The
early C19 north east front range: 2 storeys. Almost symmetrical 2-window front
with C19 2-light horizontally sliding sashes with glazing bars, later C19 3-light
casement with glazing bars to left on ground floor and doorway to left of centre
with early C19 flush-panel door and simple canopy on brackets. The original back
range is set back at left end and has C19 2-light casement-with glazing bars on
ground floor.
The original south west rear range: 1 storey and attic. Asymmetrical 3-window
elevation, C19 2 and 3-light casements with glazing bars in openings with segmental
brick arches. Two C19 weatherboarded gabled dormers just above eaves, the right
hand with 2-light casement, the smaller left hand dormer with 1-light casement,
both have glazing bars. The north west end has a catslide roof over a single storey
outshut with a small dormer above, plank door in right hand side of outshut and
C20 metal-frame casement to right. To left of north west elevation the end of the
front range has external brick stack. The south east elevation is blind. Interior:
Collar-rafter roof of fairly large scantling with halved and lap-jointed collars,
smoke-blackened and largely complete, although reset over inner room only one smoke-
blackened couple and a few other blackened rafters survive. The rafter couples
and collars over the lower end appear to be clean except for one possibly reset
blackened collar. The back of the timber frame stack with blackened wattle and
daub is behind the brick stack. The partition at the high end of hall has recently
been rebuilt except for the top section in the roof which shows signs of blackening
on the hall side. The hall chamber has remains of tie-beam, truncated by inserted
hall Stack, with mortice for brace. Partition behind stack has tie-beam with arch
brace and vertical studding above for timber-framed stack. Wall-plates are exposed,
the front plate has exposed scarf joint. On the ground floor the hall has a roughly
chamfered axial beam with run-out stops and narrowly chamfered joists. The brick
hall fireplace has a slightly cambered and chamfered timber lintel with run-out
stops and cupboard inside to left with a fielded panel door. The timber framed
partition at the high end of the hall has been rebuilt. The lower end room, kitchen,
has later chamfered joists and no main beam. The inner room has no first floor
but is ceiled from the roof space. Most of the C19 joinery survives including simple
plank doors and on the first floor an C18 fielded 2-panel door to cupboard behind
stack. Simple wooden winder staircase beside stack with railed balustrade. The
chamber of the hall has wide elm floorboards and the floor over the kitchen (lower
end) and over the front rooms are pine. One of the chambers in the C19 front range
has a small simple wooden chimney-piece with a bracketed shelf and cast-iron grate,
but the chimney piece in the room below has been removed.
Note: Few small medieval houses have yet been found in Kent and those wholly open
to the roof such as Pimphurst Farmhouse are rare.
Source: Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, file No 40123.

------------------------------------

1.
5272 BETHERSDEN PLUCKLEY ROAD
Pimphurst Farmhouse
TQ 94 SW 14/54
II
2.
Two parallel ranges. The south range is C17 or earlier; probably timber-framed
refaced with stone rubble, cream-washed. The north range is C18 and weatherboarded.
Hipped tiled roof. Casement windows or horizontally sliding sash windows.
Two storeys, 2 windows.

Listing NGR: TQ9252942129

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17556073

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.

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