Stinton Hall Farmhouse Salle

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1 . Stinton Hall Farmhouse Salle A Brief Record Grid Reference: Stephen Heywood FSA Heritage and Landscape Section Norfolk County Council Norwich NR1 2SG September 2007

2 Stinton Hall Farm. Report on the historic interest of the building at the request of the occupiers Introduction Stinton was a separate manor in the ownership of different families until it was attached to the neighbouring estate of Heydon by the Bulwers. Since then it has become part of the Salle estate in which it remains today. The site of the manor may be the moated site just to the east of Hall farm which now contains the Old Rectory. Date C17 with major refurbishment during the early C18 and expansion in Materials Timber frame encased in brick with pantile roofs. Plan The original house was an L plan which it maintains in its restored state with a clearly defined addition of 1888 (datestone). In addition there is a central two storey porch which may have also been an addition of The building is of two storeys with a now disused attic and a small cellar. Exterior The only evidence of C17 work visible on the exterior is the stack and returned gableend of the west wing. It is of English bond brick with a parapet gable. The return of the gable-end relates to the size of the stack. The wall plate of the timber frame can just be seen at the eaves at this point. The returned wall has a small blocked window. C17 returned gable-end of west wing. The west wing is subsidiary to the main block which is oriented north-south. Both gables of this block have interconnecting tumbling-in. This technique of stabilising 2

3 gables is normally for parapet gables but the pantile roof covers the tops of these gables. Tumbling-in of this sort normally indicates a date in the first half of C18. There are stacks to both gables but only the southern stack relates to the original timber-framed building. Before the re-facing it would have been similar to the end of the west wing. All the stacks have octagonal chimney shafts in imitation of the classic Elizabethan mode. The striking symmetrical façade is characterised by three crow-stepped gables with moulded brick copings. The attic gables were introduced with the C18 re-facing and the archaic crow stepping is a deliberate reference to Elizabethan precedents possibly in order to acknowledge the great house at Heydon. The windows are modern replacements following the main proportions of C18 mullion and transom casement windows. The openings have flat skewback arches of which a pair at the upper level have been replaced with C19 rubbed brick flat arches. The brick work of the porch is clearly butted against the facade wall and appears to be an addition copying the existing stepped gables. The extension to the rear is dated in moulded brick to1888. The fenestration has rubbed brick skewback arches. There are further small extensions. Interior The west wing retains it original bridging beams which are decorated with barred and ogee chamfer stops typical of the C17. There is spinal; beam jointed to a transverse beam against the stack. The other end of the spinal beam has no stop to the chamfer and suggests that it extended further originally. Chamfer stops in kitchen The drawing room in the southern section of the house has a very deep chimney stack and it is clearly off centre. This probably indicates where the original stair was housed, the space deliberately adjusted in order for there to be adequate room for a winding stair. There is a spinal bridging joist which has been boarded in but as there is no transverse beam against the stack it may be a later insertion. 3

4 The first floor room directly above has its original hearth with a typical C17 shallow chamfered arch retaining its original plaster. This room also has one of the very few places where the timber frame is revealed. First floor south chamber showing edge of hearth and part of surviving frame There is a corner principal post with a jowled top supporting a tie beam. The remains of a straight brace survive from the post to the tie beam. The wall plate is also revealed with the tie beam housed into it in the typical manner. It supports a principal rafter which is obviously separate from the tie beam and there are peg holes which indicate the positions of the studs and a gap in the sequence indicates a former mullion window. There are very small indications of the timber frame in the other upstairs rooms but most of it is hidden. It is fair to assume, however, that the C18 refacing left substantial parts of the frame in situ. The off-set on the exterior between the returned west wing gable-end and the C18 facing certainly suggest this. Amongst the C18 alterations was the introduction of a cellar beneath the north end of the main block. This involved not only excavation but also the raising of floor levels at this level and the floors above including the attic floor. The attic is now used only for storage but was clearly inhabited originally and some of the floors are still intact. Some early trusses survive. They have mortised-andtenoned collar beams, butt purlins with evidence for windbracing with one or two still intact. Normally by the C18 windbracing has been dropped and collars halved rather than mortised into the principal rafters. This suggests that these trusses could be the original C17 ones. However, the existence of a ridge purlin is a definite C18 introduction. The trusses connect with the wall plates rather than with the tie beams and this easier method lends itself to the insertion of replacement trusses. Further 4

5 inspection might reveal some answers. The shape of the roof is the same as it was originally and it shows that when the building was faced with brick work the tumbledin gables were deliberately built flush with the roof covering rather than with the expected method of gable parapets. The spacious hall, staircase and porch probably belong to the 1888 alterations. The stair has simple stick balusters and plain newel posts. The porch has been skilfully constructed to blend in with the attic gables. It clearly butts up against the C18 brick work Conclusion This house is of great interest with very little of its C18 covering allowing its earlier core to be revealed. Very much more of its timber frame remains to be discovered yet its basic shape, L plan, height and rough date have been worked out. Its playful array of stepped gables is an intriguing way of transforming a timber-framed farmhouse into a more polite small house with the architectural language of an Elizabethan country house. Stephen Heywood October