Description

TQ 53 NW
7/593

SPELDHURST
STONE CROSS
Stone Cross

II
Former farmhouse. Probably late C15 with late C16/early C17 improvements, modernised and enlarged circa 1900. Timber-framed. Ground floor level is underbuilt with brick and coursed sandstone apparently in a succession of phases. Most of the brickwork is Flemish bond red brick with burnt headers but there is some (probably C17) English bond brick and various butt joints and blockings appear on the back wall .Timber-framing above first floor level is hung with peg-tiles. Brick stacks. The old hall chimneyshaft is built of old brick and the circa 1900 parlour chimneyshaft has Tudor-style star-shaped shafts. Peg-tile roof.

Plan and Development: the house faces east-south-east, say east, overlooking a steep valley. The main block has a two-room plan with the kitchen to left (south) and former hall to right. Both have end stacks backing onto two-room plan crosswings projecting forward from each end. Left (south) wing is a service wing. The right one is a parlour crosswing. Rear parlour shares the hall stack and front room has an outer (right side) lateral stack. Front lobby entrance onto side of stack between former hall and rear parlour with two-storey stair turret.

The main block is the historic core of the house and is an interesting small late medieval open hall house, two bay in all. The one-bay hall was originally open to the roof and was heated by an open hearth fire.The other bay (the present kitchen) was floored from the beginning and it originally contained the through passage with narrow unheated services to left (south) and with the bed chamber above. Hall was floored over in the late C16/early C17 and the hall fireplace was inserted at the same time. The parlour crosswing was added in the early C17 but was then only one room. At this time the passage was abandoned in favour of the lobby entrance with the stair turret. The parlour crosswing was extended forward circa 1900 and the service crosswing built at the same time. Kitchen stack was inserted at the same time. House is two storeys with disused attics in the roof space.

Exterior: is largely the result of the circa 1900 refurbishment which was carried out in a sympathetic Arts and Crafts vernacular style. Irregular 1:3:1-window front of circa 1900 casements containing rectangular panes of leaded glass.

Main block elevation broken by an irregular two-storey bay window to the former hall, the C17 stair turret to right and a large half dormer with hipped roof to left. Both crosswings project forward with end jetties and gable ends. Circa 1900 main entrance on north side of parlour crosswing where there is a gabled porch in Tudor/Jacobean style. It includes a timber pointed head outer arch with moulded surround on the west side. It contains part-glazed panelled double doors and has continuous range of windows around the rest containing a grille of turned bobbin mullions and glazed with diamond panes of leaded glass. Main roof rises to a higher level over the medieval house.

Interior: as far as can be seen the structure of the late medieval hall house appears to be well-preserved. The partition between hall and passage has been removed but a narrow bay at the south end of the present hall is believed to be the site of the original passage. Above are a series of axial joists of large scantling. The present partition between hall and kitchen may be the lower passage screen but it is plastered over, so too is the kitchen ceiling.

Roof over this section is two bays separated by a closed truss and carried on plain tie-beam trusses and crown posts have curving down braces. A-frame common rafters of large scantling. Although the collar joints could not be seen at the time of this survey the owner claims that they were lap-jointed. The hall bay( including some original plaster) is smoke-blackened from the original open hearth fire. The medieval roof was gable-ended to north (it was the end because there is no slot in the crown post for an up brace and continuation of the roof in that direction). The other end was half-hipped.

Hall was floored over with a series of axial joists, all chamfered with step stops. Large brick fireplace here has slightly mutilated chamfered Tudor arch to oak lintel. The parlour has plain joists. The fireplace here if not completely rebuilt circa 1900 was heavily mended. It is sandstone ashlar with a chamfered and scroll stopped oak lintel. There is a very similar fireplace of circa 1900 in the front room of the parlour crosswing. Early C17 two-bay roof to rear of parlour crosswing of tie-beam trusses with clasped side purlins with crown and queen struts.

Stone Cross is an interesting survival of a small two-bay medieval hall house. Its proximity to a higher class medieval hall house at Stone Cross Farmhouse (q.v.) may be significant.

Listing NGR: TQ5221738888

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26266054

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

• 
  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)
• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds: Cotswolds Pt. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey