Description

BRENTWOOD

TQ6391 BILLERICAY ROAD, Herongate
723-1/13/170 (North side (off))
21/10/58 Granary 5 metres south-east of Heron
Hall
(Formerly Listed as:
BILLERICAY ROAD, Herongate
(North side)
Granary to the south of Heron Hall)

GV II*

Formerly known as: Building immediately to south of Heron Hall
Farmhouse BILLERICAY ROAD.
Granary. Early C15, altered in late C17. Mainly of red brick
in English bond, gables rebuilt in red and blue brick in
Flemish bond, roofed with handmade red clay tiles. Rectangular
plan facing approximately W, abutting on outside of moat to E.
EXTERIOR: 2 storeys. The W elevation has on the ground floor 2
original windows with chamfered jambs and steep 4-centred
arches, and a blocked original doorway with chamfered jambs,
altered to a similar window; and on the first floor 2 original
windows with chamfered jambs and shallow 2-centred arches, and
a blocked doorway altered to a similar window. The plinth is
penetrated by barred semicircular arches open to the W only;
at time of inspection, August 1989, 5 were visible, others
concealed by a C20 feature. The E elevation has 2 similar
ground-floor windows and 2 similar first-floor windows of
which one is blocked; smaller blocked arches at approximate
floor level, and a deep plinth splayed out towards the moat.
All the windows retain incomplete original wrought-iron
grills, or the evidence for them. The original first-floor
windows are so arranged that each lights one bay, on alternate
sides. The 2 altered doorways are vertically in line, in the
second bay from the N end; the lower inserted window utilises
the original S jamb, and is executed in similar bricks and
workmanship, evidently at an early date. The upper blocked
doorway was concealed by creeper at the time of inspection,
visible only as a straight joint internally. The S elevation
has on each floor a doorway inserted in the late C17; the
lower door is of that date or early, the upper door C20,
reached by an external wooden stair. Both parapet gables have
been rebuilt above tie-beam level in the late C17, blue
headers and red stretchers forming a regular pattern, in
similar style to Heron Hall (qv), its stable range and court
hall/granary (qv). The N wall is partly rendered. The bricks
of the original fabric are 0.22-0.23m long, 0.11m wide, 0.05m
deep, with lime mortar, 4 courses rising 0.24m, plum coloured
and of high quality, evenly built.
INTERIOR: inside the walls are bare; it is not clear whether
they have ever been plastered. All the windows have segmental
rear-arches and wide splays. Most of the windows are rebated
for inward-opening shutters; one first-floor E window is
grooved for glazing, the other retains 2 pintle hinges. On
each floor, in the middle of the W wall is a plain niche,
about the same size as the windows, with simple corbelled
head; traces of sooting indicate that it was used for a lamp.
The timber structure is original, in 4 bays. The lower floor
is approx one metre above ground, comprising main joints
supported at the junctions by brick piers, and heavy common
joists of horizontal section; access from below barred, faced
with plywood above, but wide floorboards are visible, probably
original. The upper floor structure comprises 3 chamfered
transverse beams, 4 chamfered axial bridging beams, and heavy
plain joists of horizontal section jointed to the bridging
beams with central tenons and soffit spurs, a rare form
(Hewett, 280, 287). Later posts support the junctions.
Crownpost roof with 5 cambered tie-beams, chamfered with step
stops, plain crownposts, and 4-way rising braces except on the
end posts, which have single axial braces; the crownposts are
originally numbered 1-4 from N to S, the fifth crownpost of
reused timber; plastered to the soffits of the rafters and
collars. The tiles were re-laid in 1988 after hurricane
damage. The chamfers of the tie-beams terminate just short of
original clamps pegged to the walls.
This building is exceptional in being a rare example of high
quality brickwork in a secular context; no parallel is known
in Essex. It is exceptionally complete and unaltered, the only
alterations being themselves of early date and of historic
interest. It is the earliest building on the site.
(Hewett CA: English Historic Carpentry: 1980-: 280, 287; RCHM:
East Horndon : 2).

Listing NGR: TQ6392491751

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17544978

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

• 
  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Derbyshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)