Red House Farm, Melchet Park and Plaitford, Hampshire

Summary

Red House Farm, a farmhouse thought to originate in the latter part of the C16, with much subsequent rebuilding and alteration.

Description

Farmhouse, thought to originate in the C16, with much subsequent rebuilding and alteration.

MATERIALS: timber framed, with brick infill. The exterior is now rendered and painted. The roof, which is hipped at the west end, is thatched; a red brick stack rising near the centre of the roof is probably C19 or early C20. The visible external applied timbers date from the late C20. The window frames are all late-C20 replacements.

PLAN: the four-bay original building is rectangular on plan, on a west-east alignment. The building has been extended to the east, in line with the original range under a continuous roof level, and projecting to the south; there is a narrower and lower extension to the west end. Both of these extensions post-date 1909, and neither is of special interest.* On the south front of the original range is a late-C20 projection providing a porch and a small room; in 1876 there was a smaller porch sheltering the entrance. The late-C20 porch is not of special interest.* However, it is noted that historic timbers are visible in the south wall of the house in front of which it stands. A conservatory extension running along the north side of the original building is not of special interest.*

EXTERIOR: the entrance is now in the south elevation, towards the west end of the original range. This is protected by the late-C20 porch extension; the thatch of the roof extends over this section, framing the earlier first-floor window. The door opening seen in the 1876 photograph has been lost, and there is now a wide opening to the west of that position, giving access between the porch extension and the central room. The 1876 photograph, in which the timber framing is exposed, suggests that none of the window openings on the south front are in their original positions. To the east of the doorway is a horizontal ground-floor window, preserving its proportions as seen in 1876, with a dormer window opening above. The ground-floor window to the west of the entrance is a C20 insertion, though the dormer window above was present in 1876. At the junction between the main range and the western extension is a projecting thatched archway, which is not of special interest.* The original north wall of the building has largely been lost at ground-floor level, in the area of the ground-floor conservatory. Above the conservatory are two dormer windows.

INTERIOR: on the ground floor, the two western bays are now open, divided by a transverse beam supported on a central post; mortices for studs and stave-holes for wattle-and-daub in the underside of the beam give evidence of the former partition, with a doorway. The spine beam of the two bays is in two sections. The section to the west bears a variety of inscriptions, which include what appears to be a date of 1525; however, the origin of these inscriptions is not known, and it is doubtful whether this beam is original to the house. The ceiling joists in this western area are not thought to be original. The spine beam in the next bay to the east, which is deeply chamfered, with scroll stops to either end, is thought to be C16 and in its original position; the joists in this area are also thought to be original. The brick-built chimney is thought to have been entirely or largely rebuilt during the later C20 at ground-floor level; to the west there is a wide chimney opening with a re-set bressumer which appears to date from circa 1600. In the eastern room, the chimney area has been rebuilt in a complex form, with what appears to be a re-modelled bread oven to the south and an arched opening to the north. This room contains exposed timber joists and fragments of partition, but it is thought these are probably not original to the building. In the eastern wall is set a horizontal timber which appears to be a reused fireplace lintel, perhaps dating from the early C17. The stair, which rises to the south of the chimney, is in the position it has probably occupied since the early C17, but has been remodelled.

On the first floor, the stair reaches a small landing providing access to a room to the west and one to the east. At first-floor level, timber framing is visible in the walls as are the queen-post trusses of the roof structure which define the rooms, the roof being open to the level of the collars. However, several timbers have been replaced, and in some cases it is not currently possible to be certain regarding date. In the western room, the tie beams are thought to be re-used. In the eastern room, the tie beams are thought to be original, with the collars having been replaced. The purlins and wall plates appear to be original to the building. A C20 brick fireplace has been opened into the chimney stack in the eastern room.

In the roof space, the brick-built chimney stack rises within the former smoke bay; it has been suggested that the bricks are C17. There is clear evidence of smoke-blackening on the western partition which would have formed part of the smoke bay – the eastern partition was not visible for inspection. The upper part of the western partition is no longer in place, but stave holes remain on the underside of the truss, indicating that the partition did rise to full height. The smoke blackening on the trusses and battens extends from the area of the former smoke bay into the area to the west, beyond the position of the partition, which supports the theory of the house having had an open hall in its first phase. Some rafters have been cut away to make room for the inserted brick stack.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES

To the north-west is a small ancillary building shown on the early Ordnance Survey maps as the eastern part of a longer structure. This was not inspected internally, but has been much altered, and is not of special interest.*

*Pursuant to s.1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act of 1990 ('the Act') it is declared that these aforementioned features are not of special architectural or historic interest.

History

The building now known as Red House Farm is thought to date from the C16. The surviving fabric suggests that the building underwent significant development during the late C16/early C17, though it does not currently provide conclusive evidence about the nature of this development.

It is thought to be most likely that the house was built as a two-storey dwelling, with a central smoke bay, probably in the latter part of the C16. However, it is also possible that the house originally had an open hall at the west end, which was subsequently partially floored with the lower bay left open, effectively forming a smoke bay. If the house was built with an open hall an early to mid-C16 construction date would be more likely, though the fairly slight scantling of the building's timbers is consistent with a later-C16 date. Within the roof area, the former smoke bay is indicated by stave holes on the underside of the central truss, and the surviving wattle-and-daub panel with smoke blackening beneath the tie beam; the rafters and battens above show evidence of smoke blackening on either side of the truss, lending weight to the theory that there may originally have been an open hall. However, the relative narrowness of the bay in question argues in favour of the smoke bay having been part of the original construction; in that case, the spread of smoke may have been due to other factors, such as damage to the partition. Either way, the brick chimney stack was later built within the smoke bay, probably in the C17; the smoke blackening on the trusses is relatively light, suggesting that the stack was built fairly rapidly after the construction of the building. The chimney area has seen much re-building at ground-floor level, making its original form difficult to discern.

It is possible that the stair was inserted in its current position, to the south of the stack, when the brick stack was built. At the same time, an entrance may have been placed to the north of the stack, leading to a small lobby (converting the house to a ‘lobby-entry’ plan); however, no evidence of this remains in the much-changed north wall. The original position of the stair is not known, but it may have been towards the western end of the house. A photograph of the south elevation of the house in 1876 shows the doorway on that elevation placed to the west of the stack, which may reflect an early doorway position.

The Ordnance Survey map published in 1876 suggests that at that time the building formed part of the Powell’s Farm complex. It is possible to identify some changes made after that date, thanks to an early photograph, which shows the Hutchings family in residence; the house is understood to have been home to that family for 70 years. The third edition Ordnance Survey map published in 1909 shows the building occupying the same footprint as in 1876.

During the later C20 and the first years of the C21 the building has undergone extensive change, both internally and externally, with extensions to west and east, and a porch extension in the position of the south entrance. The modern render and replacement of external features has done much to alter the external appearance of the house.

Reasons for Listing

Red House Farm, a farmhouse thought to originate in the latter part of the C16, with much subsequent rebuilding and alteration, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as a modest farmhouse dating from the late C16, with its historic core remaining legible;
* Architectural interest: thought to have been built with a central smoke bay, the house is of a form characteristic of this area and date;
* Degree of survival: tangible evidence of the building’s early smoke bay survives in the roof space, with its smoke-blackened partition and rafters, and despite later alterations, the house retains a fair proportion of its original timber framing.

External Links

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.