Description

SO 75 NE MARTLEY B 4204 (s.w. side)
Martley

6/104 The Old Hall (formerly
listed as The Rectory)
12.11.51

GV I

Former rectory, now house. Mainly C14 and C15 with subsequent additions and
alterations from C16 to C20. Timber-frame clad in brick, plain tile roof.
Essentially H-plan: C14 central once open hall of 2 bays with through passage
at south end; originally a gap of about 1.5 metres between hall and contemporary
3 bay upper end range to north; service range to south is C15 of 2 bays, with a
single bay at right angles to it of a similar date; lateral stacks to west wall
of hall and north wall of upper end; C17 infill to west of hall of brick, and
a service range of C17 to north of upper end. Garden front: mainly 2 storeys,
irregular fenestration. Late C18 semi-circular projecting bay to left (north)
fronting upper end with parapet partially concealing gable with early C19
pierced bargeboards; three 12-pane sashes to first floor, central glazed door
on ground floor between 2 sashes; hall has two 16-pane sashes with flush sash
boxes to first floor, and 3 similar sashes to ground floor of 12:16:12 sashes,
the central one under a segmental head, the other two under rubbed brick heads;
gabled projecting porch to through passage, has early C19 pierced barge boards,
panelled brick cornice and toothed brick string; 2-light casement lights attic,
above a 12-pane sash with flush sash box under a rubbed brick head with key-
stone on first floor; entrance has a segmental head, and the plank door is
probably C16, as is that at the other end of the passage, original hinges;
gable of cross-wing (service) has early C19 pierced barge boards, 2-light
casement to attic above 12-pane sash with flush sash box under rubbed brick
head with keystone to first and ground floor; blank brick wall to right (south)
of this fronts the single bay service extension. Interior: Hall: central
truss and spere truss of massive timbers are extant; central truss: large
angle braces to tie, above tie-beam are two curved struts from tie to collar
forming 2-centred arch, wind-braces (removed) to slender single purlins;
principal rafters off relatively small scantling inclined at almost 60°;
spere truss: angle braces from spere posts are curved, and form a 2-centred
arch, the apex of which is cut in soffit of the tie-beam; elbowed struts from
tie-beam to principal rafters, also collar; all principal arrises decorated
with ovolo chamfers. Inserted floor of C16 contemporary with staircase inserted
in gap between hall and upper end; newel posts carved in low relief: turned
balusters, moulded string and hand rail. Upper end roof: curved struts from
tie-beam to principals, with collar; pitch of roof similar to hall; in north
wall of west bay are the remnants of a 3-light ogee headed window. Through
passage has 3 ogee headed entrances into service: the west bay of service has
remnants of mid-C15 wall paintings with 2 black letter inscriptions in English
(on the timbers). Roof is of clasped-purlin type with diminished principals,
perhaps early C15. The upper floor is now reached from a stair commencing in
the hall which has been remodelled, but includes mid-C18 turned balusters.
Fittings: Alabaster slab of c1460 from tomb in church on east wall of room in
service wing containing C15 painting (formerly over hall fireplace). Panelling:
some moved C18 pine panelling in east room on ground floor of service range;
early C17 oak panelling with deep frieze in west room on first floor of service
range; imported C18 panelling, installed 1960/1 from Manchester, in rooms to
west of hall. This is an extremely important house with the archaic feature
of a separate upper end range, albeit only 1.5 metres away from the hall. This
was the birthplace of C S Calverley (1831), the poet and parodist, and the child-
hood home of Sir Charles Hastings, founder of the British Medical Association.
(FWB Charles, 1967, "Medieval Cruck-Building and its Derivatives", Society for
Medieval Archaeology, Monograph Series no 2, pp 54/55; BoE p 221; VCH 4, p 290).

Listing NGR: SO7569059877

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17530346

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

• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Setting up a Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement: Historic England Advice Note 5
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)