Description

BRENTWOOD

TQ59NE COXTIE GREEN ROAD, South Weald
723-1/5/285 (East side)
20/02/76 Frieze Hall
(Formerly Listed as:
COXTIE GREEN ROAD, Coxtie Green
Frieze Hall)

GV II

House. c1500, late C16, early C17 and mid-C17. Timber-framed,
pebble dash rendered, front walls mainly clad in brick with
C20 pargeting, peg-tiled roof. Plan rectangular with narrower
long extension to NW.
EXTERIOR: 2 storey and attic, partly lit but not used. SW
front elevation of 2 distinct units : (1) To SE, double gabled
with minor intermediate gable with central front door below
and late C16 clustered cruciform stack, 4 shafts above. Ground
floor, two C19 segment headed windows each with 3-light
casements, each 2x3 panes with glazing bars (remewed C20).
Door between under simple gabled, peg-tiled hood, bracketed to
wall. Door has upper glazing with glazing bars, 2x3 panes.
First floor, two C19 3-light casement windows with glazing
bars, each casement 2x3 panes, and smaller central casement
window with glazing bars, 2x3 panes. Roof attic lighting - 2
fixed lights with glazing bars, 4 panes. The 2 major gable
roofs are half hipped with C19 shaped barge boarding which is
carried over simple central gable. (2) Range extending to NW.
Central C17 stack set to rear of roof apex - roof half hipped.
Ground floor - 3 segment headed windows each with 2 casements
with glazing bars, 2x3 panes and door in segment headed
doorway against block (1). Door has upper glazing with glazing
bars, 2x2 panes and 2 lower simple horizontal panels. First
floor, 3 casement windows set over those below, each with 2
lights, glazing bars, 2x3 panes. NE rear elevation, block (1),
single half hipped gable to SE, roof hipped back to NW
cruciform stacks as on front elevation. Ground floor, 2 C19
sash windows with glazing bars, 3x3 panes. C20 door, fully
glazed, 3x4 panes with simple bracketed peg-tiled roof. First
floor, 2 sash windows as below and one C20 2-light casement.
Roof space lit by 2x2 paned fixed window in gable. C19 shaped
barge boards. (2) Range to NW. Ground floor, one C19 3x3 paned
sash window and door with simple lean-to hood. Door has upper
glazing with glazing bars, 2x3 panes and lower panelling.
First floor, three C19 sash windows, 3x3 panes. Tall C17 stack
central to block emerges from roof below apex. SE end
elevation of (1) has one ground floor C17 3-light ovolo
moulded mullioned window (restored).
INTERIOR: (A) Oldest work of c1500 is NW gabled unit of (1)
adjoining (2). It is a 2-bayed cross-wing of a medieval hall
which once extended from it to the SE. It has a remaining
jowled storey post and close studding with step stopped
chamfers on the principal binding joist, under which a studded
wall once existed with arched braces. One 3-light mullioned
window survives on the ground floor and one 2-light window
probably for a stair on the first floor. Evidence of another
window over the ground floor one (shallow groove and cut away
sill). The roof has a central simple 2-way braced crown post
over the central arched braced tie-beam and the rear gable is
hipped. This block appears to be a service cross-wing with
buttery and pantry division and was originally jettied to the
front. (Terminal gable crown-post assembly absent). It may
also have provided a solar chamber as well in the single
original wing. (B) In the late C16 a stack with ground floor
back to back fireplaces was inserted into the cross passage
area and the principal central storey post of (A) cut away to
receive the cross-wing fireplace - this has a timber lintel
(partly restored) with a shield and stylised leaf decoration
in a carved spandrel. (C) In the early C17 the medieval hall
was dismantled and a block symmetrical with the existing
cross-wing constructed in its place with a parallel gabled
roof. The intervening area of the stack was given a chimney
bay and provided with a smaller central gable with lobby
entrance door. The new block was well appointed with a rear
3-light ovolo moulded mullioned window on the ground floor and
a similar 6-light window on both floors, central in the SE end
wall. The ground-floor fireplace is somewhat rebuilt but is
wide and has symmetrical doorways on either side, probably
original but with recut heads. The common joists are supported
by 2 binding joists with lamb's tongue stops and common joists
have diminished haunched tenons. The upper framing of phase
(C) has internal straight bracing typical of C17. The roof is
of the clasped side purlin type and many of the members are
reused sooted rafters from the old hall. The roofing round the
stack is of the butt purlin type, sooted rafters, and one
member is the old hall top plate bearing the joints of a large
8-light mullioned window, all sooted and with rafter seatings
above. It is probably to phase (C) that the long range to the
NW (block (2)) should be attributed. The central stack is very
similar to the one in block (1) and cannot be far removed from
it in date. Framing evidence is more obscure but of C17
primary braced type with paired face halved and bladed scarfs.
Ground floor room ceiling joists have diminished haunched
tenons, lamb's tongue chamfer stops and carpenters' assembly
marks. It is said that a bread oven existed at the rear of the
central fireplace prior to removal in 1923-4.
HISTORICAL NOTE: the house is a very clear modification of an
L-shaped medieval hall house to a symmetrical facade gabled
house with central stack and door typical of the C17. The
stair was probably contrived at the rear of the stack. As a
part of the same building programme, or very shortly
afterwards, a long service range, virtually an adjacent
central chimney house, was added. It is possible that the
expansion was a unit system in which a family constructs
adjoining, but separate, houses. However the difference in
appointment does favour a service interpretation for the added
long range. The additional buildings continuing the run of the
NW range from the roof half hip onwards are all C20 and are
not included in the listing. Frieze Hall and the stable (qv)
form a group.
(RCHM: Central and SW Essex : Monument 12: 218).

Listing NGR: TQ5556095146

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26501460

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

• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)