Latitude: 51.1494 / 51°8'57"N
Longitude: 0.3291 / 0°19'44"E
OS Eastings: 562998
OS Northings: 141486
OS Grid: TQ629414
Mapcode National: GBR NR0.S1T
Mapcode Global: VHHQF.NCBP
Plus Code: 9F3248XH+QJ
Entry Name: Queens Folly
Listing Date: 24 August 1990
Grade: II
Source: Historic England
Source ID: 1254437
English Heritage Legacy ID: 437928
ID on this website: 101254437
Location: Lower Green, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2
County: Kent
District: Tunbridge Wells
Civil Parish: Pembury
Built-Up Area: Pembury
Traditional County: Kent
Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Kent
Church of England Parish: Pembury St Peter
Church of England Diocese: Rochester
Tagged with: Architectural structure
TQ 64 SW PEMBURY LOWER GREEN ROAD
5/384 No 64, Queens Folly (formerly
known as Brick Cottage)
II
House. Dated 1626 with minor later modernisations. Completely timber-framed
on coursed sandstone footings, framing is clad with peg-tile. Brick stack on
sandstone ashlar base and staggered brick chimneyshaft of early, if not
original brick. Peg-tile roof.
Plan: 3-room plan facing basically south. A large axial stack between the
left (west) and centre rooms serves back-to-back fireplaces. The left end
room was the parlour and the centre room was the kitchen. Early winder stair
to rear of the stack. There may have been an original lobby entrance behind
the slack but, if so, no evidence is exposed for one. Certainly there is no
room for one in front of the stack. Maybe there was always, as now, direct
entry into the kitchen. Small unheated right end room was a service room,
probably the buttery, dairy or pantry. Partition between the old kitchen and
service room has been removed. Present kitchen in secondary outshots across
the back. In fact the original kitchen was 2 bays and the former service room
one bay whilst the arrangement of the 2 bedchambers above is the reverse.
This makes a rather small kitchen chamber and it may be that the fireplace
there is secondary.
House is 2 storeys with attics in the roofspace and lean-to outshots across
the whole of the rear.
Exterior: Irregular front fenestration with 3 ground floor windows and a
single centre first floor window. Like those around the rest of the house
these are C20 casements with a diamond pane leaded effect. Front doorway is
right of centre; a C20 Tudor arch containing a contemporary plank door with
coverstrips. Roof is gable-ended, stepping down over the right end section (2
bays inside). At the left gable end (overlooking Lower Green Road) the gable
is carried on a moulded beam enriched with guilloche and including the carved
date 1626 along with the initials IMI.
Interior: Original carpentry appears to be well-preserved. The wall framing
is of large scantling with curving tension braces. The front parlour is a
good room for a house of this status. It has an intersecting beam 4-panel
ceiling, the beams chamfered with scroll stops. The fireplace here is stone
ashlar with a chamfered Tudor arch to the oak lintel. Similar ceiling and
smaller fireplace to the chamber above. Ceiling over the kitchen has a
chamfered and step-stopped crossbeam with a similar axial beam from it to the
chimneybreast. Fireplace is plastered with a cambered and chamfered oak
lintel. Joists here and over the former sevice room are chamfered with step
stops. Fireplace to kitchen chamber is small, brick with a plain oak lintel.
Roof of 5 bays, the service end (eastern) 2 bays at a lower level. Despite
the change in height roof appears to be of one build and is carried on a
series of tie-beam trusses with clasped side purlins and queen struts.
Queens Folly is a well-preserved, attractive and dated early C17 house of
modest status.
Listing NGR: TQ6299841486
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