Description

TQ 64 NW CAPEL TUDELEY LANE (off), SOMERHILL PARK 1/303 Dairy about 10m north of Park Farmhouse

GV II

Dairy on the home farm of Somerhill, now part of the Hadlow Estate. Probably circa 1850, architect unknown to date. Framed construction on brick footings; tiled roof with bands of scalloped tiles and fleur de lis crested ridge tiles; brick stack. The design makes free use of elements drawn from traditional buildings of the C17.

Plan: The dairy is part of a designed Victorian farmstead with other buildings in a matching style. The layout of the group is picturesquely irregular and organized to look attractive as well as being functional. The dairy, which is the first building in the group on the approach to the farm is also the most elaborately treated. It is sited north of and below the farmhouse (q.v.). T-plan, the 2 room plan main block roofed on an east west axis, at right angles to the farm lane, with an axial stack. A third room is in a crosswing at the west end with a large west end porch facing the lane. This was probably the entrance used by visitors from Somerhill. There is a plainer entrance on the south side, into the main block, opposite the rear door of the farmhouse.

Exterior: Extremely pretty and very intact. Gabled roofs with deep eaves and fancy cusped moulded bargeboards; axial stack with vertical rib decoration to the shaft, louvred ventilation shaft east of the stack with a tiled roof and finial. Framing with diagonal braces, the plaster of the infil panels raised. Symmetrical west elevation, dominated by a showy gabled porch in the centre. The outer doorway is flanked by arched open panels in the framing with trefoil-pierced spandrels, the framing of the side walls of the porch is divided into 3 tiers with cross-braced panels above the footings, the next tier of timber panels pierced with pointed quatrefoils, the tier below the eaves with a row of open shouldered arches. Original front door in a moulded frame, original floor tiling. The south side of the dairy has the gable end of the crosswing to the left, the main block to the right. The crosswing has a large 3-light casement window with cast iron casements with high transoms and diagonal iron glazing bars with decorated stamped bosses at the intersections. Original door into the main block alongside the crosswing, which is otherwise blind on the south side with tall cross-braced panels in the framing. The north elevation has a pair of 2-light cast iron transomed windows, matching those described above. The gable end of the crosswing has a projecting bay with a hipped roof and 3 similar 2-light transomed windows plus one-light windows to the returns. The rear (east) elevation is brick, the gable has fancy bargeboards but the 4-light window is plainer than the others with square leaded panes and original window furniture.

Interior: Very complete including original tiling, canted roofs and marble shelves.

A remarkably attractive and well-preserved building.

Listing NGR: TQ6157845026

External Links

• Wikidata Q26545805

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

• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
• 
  Hampshire: South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)