Description

TQ 53 37 SPELDHURST BIRD-IN-HAND STREET, OLD
GROOMBRIDGE
16/458 Court Lodge
20.10.54

GV II*

House, incorporating the retainers wing from a medieval courtyard house,
Unimore Manor in Sussex. Medieval wing is mid/late C15. It was dismantled
transported and carefully re-erected here in 1912 with some new building in
similar style. The project was organised by the local artist Lawson Wood and
supervised by his architect J.D. Clarke and the historian J.E. Ray. Medieval
section is timber-framed on new brick footings, extensions in the same style
although the ground floor level of the rear block of 1912 is English bond red
brick. Brick and stone rubble stacks with brick chimneyshafts. Peg-tile roof.

Plan: L-plan house built across the hillslope. Long main block faces south.
It has a 4-room plan with a carriageway through left (west) of centre. Room
to left of the carriageway has a projecting gable-end stack and a flight of
external steps alongside it to the first floor (both built in 1912). Room
right of the carriageway has the main stair in a turret projecting to rear.
Stair turret built from spare old timbers. The late C17 stair here was
probably not from the old house. The original stair rose inside the room.
The next room has an axial stack with an old probably C17 fireplace rebuilt
here. A smaller room at the end and a service crosswing projecting to rear.
The crosswing is entirely from 1912, 3 rooms with a carriageway through. The
first floor of the medieval range has an original corridor along the back with
a series of small rooms off it.

2 storeys.

Exterior: The centre 7 bays of the front is the medieval section. It is
close studded front and back and continuously jettied front and back. 7-
window front includes a shallow 4-light oriel over the carriageway, and ground
floor canted bay right of centre. The windows and casements are good Arts and
Crafts Movement workmanship particularly those on the first floor which have
patterned panes of leaded glass and good ferraments. Carriage doorway is a
large oak Tudor arch with carved quatrefoils in the spandrels (similar rear
archway). Main roof is gable-ended to right and hipped to left. Rear
elevation in the same style. Originally there was a series of Tudor arch
doorways but now only one remains close to the return of the rear block.
There was originally a continuous range of first floor windows to the corridor
but this is now blocked. Old oak doorways off the carriageway. Tudor arch
doorway to right (east) containing ancient plank door and doorway to left
(west) contains C17 door with studded panelled coverstrips. 1912 rear block
in similar style but uses more gables and these are usually jettied.

Interior: The medieval range is very well-preserved and of high quality
construction. The 1912 work is good Arts and Crafts Movement work.

Moreover the house is situated at the top end of Old Groombridge village which
as a whole, with Groombridge Place (q.v.) makes up one of the best-preserved
and most attractive conservation areas in South East England.

Sources David and Barbara Martin. Udimore Court Lodge (1987). Report by The
Rape of Hastings Architecturl Survey. It includes measured plans and
elevations as well as a detailed description of the historic fabric.

Listing NGR: TQ5288437770

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17547463

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.

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