Description

MALDON

TL80NW ABBEY TURNING, Beeleigh
574-1/1/232 (North West side)
24/09/71 Beeleigh Grange

II

Farmhouse, now house. C18 and possibly earlier. Timber-framed
and part white weatherboarding, part C20 pargeted plaster and
part brick; roofs are of plain tiles with brick stacks. Very
complex plan form: main range with unarticulated cross-wings,
with parallel block to rear with small stair tower and further
wing on north corner.
EXTERIOR: front is of white weatherboarding; 2 storeys;
4-window range, with unarticulated gables at each end; that to
the north-east continues down as catslide over
one-storey-and-attic structure. Each cross-wing has a flush
16-pane sash with moulded surround on each floor. The central
part has moulded eaves and has a 12-pane sash and a 16-pane
sash on 1st floor; ground floor has an off-centre flat hooded
doorcase with consoles, moulded architrave and door of 6
raised-and-fielded panels, and a further 16-pane sash below
that on 1st floor.
The south-west flank has a stack, white weatherboarding and a
12-pane sash on each floor. The north-east flank of main block
has lower eaves line and a dormer with catslide roof and one
12-pane sash window. The block forming the northern corner has
2 roofs at right-angles, one being a western extension of the
cross-wing. The south-east elevation of this has a 16-pane
sash on each floor and the ground floor, on all exposed faces
is of red Flemish-bond brick with some grey headers. The
north-east flank has a gable stack and brickwork is partially
painted.
The north-west elevation is of two parts with an asymmetrical
raised part with hipped roof. The 1st floor has two 16-pane
sashes over a single similar window and a plain tripartite
sash. A stack against flank of taller part breaks through
ridge line of lower roof. The small stair tower has
independent roof parallel with main range and a semicircular
window with Gothick glazing bars to light rear of ground-floor
entrance hall.
INTERIOR: it appears that the earliest surviving parts of the
building are remnants of a one-storey-and-attic gambrel-roofed
cottage, incorporated in the north-east corner of the front
range. This is probably C18 and has a frame of reused medieval
timbers. The main block has format of a C17 house but seems to
be a very old-fashioned structure with softwood frame and

numerous tie beams to structure below. The roof has clasped
purlins and cross-wings are contemporary, seemingly all of the
C18. The north corner block is partially a large kitchen with,
on the ground floor, a wide fireplace with arched and
keystoned fireplace (qv Maldon Hall, Wycke Hill, Little
Maldon), stone-flagged floor and 2 large spine beams with
lambs-tongue chamfers.
Interior now has early C19 character with wide, off-centre
entrance hall with semicircular arch on Adamesque capitals
over reeded elliptical columns. An access passage to rear,
outside of main range structure, has a semicircular arch on
pilasters with moulded capitals. The main stairs are of dogleg
form in stair tower and have shaped tread ends, stick
balusters and hardwood handrail. A service stair at northern
end of rear corridor has column newel and stick balusters. One
southern front range room has dentilled cornice.
HISTORY: original site of former Abbey Farm; Sir Edwin
Landseer spent much time here staying with the owner Mr WH
Simpson.

Listing NGR: TL8395807984

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26548531

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

• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)
• 
  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)