Description

HANBURY CP BROUGHTON GREEN
SO 96 SE
4/76 (15/14) Mere Hall
29.12.52
GV I

Country house. c1560, altered early C17 and c1700; further alterations
c1830-40 probably by M Habershon. Timber-framed, rendered infill, chamfered
sandstone base and plain tiled roofs. Central hall aligned roughly east/west
with two cross-wings, all of three framed bays; hall has rear central sandstone
chimney with four rebuilt star-shaped brick stacks now enclosed by a C19 addition;
front elevation has a late C17 small square addition in angle with west wing and
a central porch; cross-wings much altered in C19 and have external sandstone
chimneys at the side of their northernmost bays; the east wing chimney has off-
sets and a large brick stack; the west wing chimney has three rebuilt star-
shaped stacks and is partly enclosed within a timber-framed outshut; at right
angles to the rear of the west wing is a large C19 two-storey addition. Two
storeys and attic; the front elevation of the hall has a row of five early C17
gables; these and the cross-wing gable ends have moulded bargeboards and finials.
Framing: close-set vertical studding throughout; wings have long straight braces
across lower corners of both storeys at gable ends, and except for north gable
end of west wing, have jettied attic storeys with moulded bressummers on decora-
tive consoles; collar and tie-beam trusses have two collars and herringbone,
lattice and concave-sided lozenge decoration; attic storey of hall is jettied
and has herringbone panels beneath fenestration, and collar and tie-beam trusses
with concave-sided lozenge detail; although the hall projection beneath is
similarly detailed, its later date is confirmed by the moulded bressummer and
console continued behind it. North front elevation: hall has row of large
leaded lights, five to left and three to right of porch; first floor has two
pairs of sash windows, probably c1700 but with Gothick traceried glazing bars;
attic storey has a 5-light ovolo-moulded wood-mullioned window to each gable
giving the appearance of a continuous long gallery; the projecting bay has a
large leaded ground-floor light and a 4-light first-floor window; central gabled
timber porch is c1700 and has spiral Cointhian columns, entablature and broken
pediment; the half-glazed door has a moulded architrave; at the centre of the
roof ridge is an octagonal open-sided lantern also of c1700 and surmounted by
a large ball finial. The left gable end has a ground- and first-floor sash
window with traceried glazing bars and an attic light; the right gable end has
two ground-floor 12-pane sash windows, a first-floor sash window with traceried
glazing bars, and an attic light; in the outshut is a 16-pane sash window.
Interior: reported as having a panelled dining room and first floor bedroom at
east end of hall. The house was the seat of the Bearcroft Family. The date
"1337" appears on a console to the attic storey of the hall but bears no relation
to the present house, except possibly the general plan. This is a large and
impressive mid-C16 building; the galleried effect of the hall attic storey,
the decorative framing and elaborately carved porch are of particular interest.
(VCH 3 (ii), p 373; BoE, p 186).

Listing NGR: SO9520261847

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17530486

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

• 
  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6
• 
  The Shredded Chef: 120 Recipes for Building Muscle, Getting Lean, and Staying Healthy
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)