Description

MARCHAM PACKHORSE LANE SU4596 (West side) 18/172 The Priory approx. 10m S of 06/08/52 Marcham Priory (not included) (Formerly listed as Park House Lane as The Priory in grounds of No.34)

- II*

House. Mid C16. Roughly coursed limestone rubble, with alternate dressed stone coursed on first floor and ashlar quoins and dressings. Gabled stone slate roof; double-flued ashlar ridge stack with roll-moulded dripcourse. 3-unit plan with through-passage, and also with lobby-entry to rear. 2 storeys; 3-window range. Tudor style. Studded C16 door with strap hinges left of centre is set in Tudor-arched convex-moulded architrave. 2-light ovolo-moulded stone-mullioned windows to left: to right stone-mullioned and transomed ovolo-moulded round-arched windows above similar mullioned 4-light windows with central king mullions. All windows have leaded-lights and are set in cyma-moulded architraves. Similar 2-light round-headed window in right gable wall; left gable wall has ovolo-moulded attic light, and chamfered timber lintels over one 3-light and three 4-light chamfered wood-mullioned windows. Rear: narrow pointed chamfered doorway to lobby entry, and C16 studded door set in pointed chamfered oak doorway to through passage: 3- and 4-light moulded wood mullioned and transomed windows with leaded lights to right; to left is similar but altered 4-light window with 3-light chamfered wood-mullioned window above. Interior: through passage has stop-chamfered joists and is flanked by partitions: partition to right has chamfered muntins and rail dividing panels, and 2 service doorways with sunk spandrels: plainer partition to left is probably later. Service room to right has stop-chamfered beam. Central room has stop-chamfered beam and joists, and segmental tympanum arch over moulded stone fireplace with sunk spandrels. Room to left (former living-room) has stop-chamfered bean and joists: corbelled fireplace has tall stepped overmantle and chamfered flat arch. Arched doorhead to newel stairs adjoining stack: room above (former parlour) has corbelled ovolo-moulded fireplace, with keyed half-round overaantel of ashlar flush with wall. Chamfered doorhead with sunk spandrels over doorway to large first-floor room to left: flat-arched fireplace has urn-stopped chamfer. 6-bay collar-truss roof, with side struts, but purlins and arched windbraces: stop-chamfer,to tie bean in parlour. Attic floor removed. This building is unusual for its combination of the through-passage with the newly-introduced lobby-entrance, which was here used as a back door from the private living quarters: Spokes and lope suggest a date of c.1570 which makes the use of the early C16 style round-arched windows very old fashioned. The unusual plan of this house suggests that it may have been used as a temporary residence, possibly an audit house. (P.S. Spokes and E.M. Jope, "The Priory, Marcham: a small 16th century house", Berkshire Archaeological Journal, Vol.57 (1959), pp.86-97; Buildings of England: Berkshire, p.177).

Listing NGR: SU4567196434

External Links

• Wikidata Q17550200

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