Description

HORWOOD HORWOOD
SS 52 NW
4/60
Horwood House
25.2.65
GV
II

House. C17 with some evidence of earlier origins, remodelled and extended in early
C18 and again extended at rear in early C19, and restored c.1960. Painted stone
and cob. Hipped slate roof with crested ridge tiles. Brick stack at right end and
to rear of lower end, enclosed by rear wing.
Originally a 3-room and through-passage plan, formerly with a lateral rear stack
heating the hall, now removed. In the C18, a storeyed porch was added and 5 short
extensions with hipped roofs in line to rear, with 2 stair turrets flanking a small
central room to rear of hall, a kitchen at rear of upper end, and a principal
south-facing room, which is slightly deeper than the other 4 extensions, to the
rear of the lower end. In C19, a large storeroom with gable ends was added to the
rear of this last extension, parallel with the principal range. In the 1960
remodelling, the through-passage was widened by taking in part of lower end,
removing the hall/inner room partition and enlarging the south stair hall by taking
in the small rear central room.
2 storeys. 6-window range, including storeyed porch. 3 timber transomed 2-light
windows at right end, with square leaded glazing pattern to the casements, and much
of the original glass surviving, one of the panes to the right end window etched
"Jane Dene 1754". The decorative wrought iron catches also intact. Otherwise
mainly 16-paned sashes without horns to upper storey, and to ground floor window to
right of porch The ground floor sash at right end is of 20 panes. The upper
storey window to right of porch has 18 panes, as does that to the porch itself, the
sash box flush with the wall. The gabled storeyed porch is supported on chamfered
timber posts set in rebuilt stone bases. 6 panelled door with small shield above,
reset from inside the passage. South facade at lower end of 3 bays, 16-paned
sashes to upper storey, 8 over 12 panes to ground floor sashes with blocked central
doorway.
Interior: following a period of dereliction, the ground floor was largely
remodelled in c.1960, the partition between hall and inner room removed, an Adam
style fireplace added to lower end, which retains a C18 moulded plasterwork cornice
and marble chimneypiece to upper end. Principal staircase rebuilt in style of the
surviving early C18 secondary dog-leg staircase which has reeded balusters, moulded
handrails and capped newels of square section with recessed panels to each facet.
Some early joinery survives to the integral cupboards at the base of these stairs
and to the 3-panelled doors to the principal chambers. The room over the porch
retains good early C18 panelling to all 4 walls, 2 panels high, with integral
window seat. Roof structure principally C18 with 5 trusses over the main range with
2 tiers of threaded purlins and ridge purlins, but the south truss over the lower
end is C17 with an Alcock Type F1 apex, the collar removed Truss over rear
extension at upper end also has a short saddle. The purlins over this wing and one
of the purlins over the lower end are smoke-blackened suggesting this may have once
been an open hall house of some stature. It was formerly the seat of the Pollard
and Dene families. The geometrical plasterwork ceiling has not survived.

Listing NGR: SS5033927589

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26401438

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

• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
• 
  Surrey (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2