Description

ALMELEY

1427/2/39 WOONTON
16-JUL-87 Rose Cottage

II
Multi-period post and truss timber framed house with C15 origins and cumulative additions in the C16, C17, C20 and C21.

Exterior: The timber framing sits on a sandstone rubble plinth and is four square panels high to the eaves. The hall house range is distinguished by slightly smaller and more regular panels with knee braces from some posts. The roofs of the framed parts are symmetrically ridged with Herefordshire stone slates laid to diminishing courses. The fenestration is irregular, but consists entirely of modern timber and metal casements with leaded glazing in a mixture of diamond and rectangular panes.

The western elevation of the hall house has two gabled dormers and porch with door, whilst a brick ridge stack protrudes from the northern gable. Attached to the northern gable of the hall house is the modern stone kitchen extension with a lean-to roof. The gable of the C16 cross wing is at the centre of the western elevation and has an external red brick stack on the north side. The eastern elevation is similar in form and fenestration with the hall range marked by a gabled dormer with leaded casements. The southern elevation consists of the 1993 extension on the left and the gable of the C15 hall house on the right. The truss with the tie-beam carrying a pair of principal rafters supporting trenched purlins with the whole braced by a collar rafter, vertical and raking struts is clearly visible.

Interior: The roof over the two-celled hall house has principal rafter trusses with trenched purlins, a ridge purlin and straight raking struts above the tie, except for the hall roof which has an unusual truss with stub tie beams. This truss is embellished with rebated moulding of the posts, single arch braces below the tie and corner braces between the posts and stub tie beams, all of which are chamfered. On the east side a post has been applied to the end of the stub tie beam giving the impression of a vestigial hammer beam roof. The chimney breast inserted into the north end of the hall is of rubble stone with a deep timber lintel. The inserted floor has a plain chamfered spine beam with a single stop. The absence of a stop where the beam meets the chimney breast suggests that the chimney was added after the floor. The original floor in the southern service range is exceptionally robust with joists with soffit tenons and a spine beam with plain chamfers and straight cut stops. The western part of this floor has been removed to accommodate a modern staircase. The panelling in the vicinity of the staircase is probably of C17 date. The doorways between the cells have (probably modern) arched heads.

The cross wing roof is formed of principal rafter trusses with trenched purlins. Three elongated and now blocked rectangular mortise holes cut into the vertical struts above the tie beam in the western gable may represent the fittings for a smoke hood. The timber frame is visible throughout the wing and the floor frame spine beam has very deep chamfers with straight cut stops.

History: Late-C15 two-celled hall house with C16, C17, C20 and C21 additions. The C15 hall house consisted of a hall in the northern part of the building and floored service range to the south. In the C16 a floored timber framed cross wing with possible smoke hood was added to the southern end of the western elevation. The western part of the floor of the original service range may have been removed at this time to provide access to the new wing or might have been cut away when a floor and then a chimney were inserted into the original hall, probably in the C17. The C16 wing was extended southward in the 1970's by the addition of a timber framed extension and a stone built kitchen added to the northern gable of the hall in the 1990's.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION DECISION
Rose Cottage, Almeley, is designated at grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Despite alterations and additions it represents a readable example of a small medieval hall house
* The house provides an important insight into the early development of timber framing techniques
* It possesses an unusual truss with stub tie beams
* It contains a good example of C17 panelling
* Relatively well preserved C16 wing with possible evidence of a smoke hood
* It has good quality carpentry throughout

NGR: SO3551452291

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26357218

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

• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)