Description

WITLEY

1801/0/10044 HASLEMERE ROAD
28-APR-06 Brook
Old Birtley

II
House, at one time a farmhouse and later farm cottages. Eastern range mid-C16, northern range early C17 with C20 additions to north east, south, west and north west.
MATERIALS: A timberframed building with the frame visible to the north and east fronts with brick or painted brick infilling, but the south and west fronts are brick to the ground floor (painted to the south) over a deep stone plinth to the northern part of the east front and tile-hung above. Tiled roof, gabled except for the north east corner which has a gablet and two brick chimneystacks, rebuilt above roof level.
PLAN: Two bay end chimneystack house to the east with separately framed three bay lobby entrance house forming an L-wing to the north. C20 additions to the north east, south, west and north west.
EXTERIOR: The south side has irregular windows, mainly C19 and C20 casements and the ground floor has a C19 gabled porch supported on chamfered wooden piers with an early C19 ledged and plank door. To the west is a C20 French window. The western side includes C20 flat-roofed dormers and a French window. The east and north sides which have exposed timberframing. The central part of the eastern side has framing of thick scantling with midrail and curved tension braces to the ends. It is mainly infilled with brick, some Flemish bond with vitrified headers, some Sussex bond and some stretcher bond. Small C20 casement windows have been inserted. C20 extensions to either end, the northern leading to the north range which has three bays of timberframing of a higher elevation with midrail and diagonal braces on a stone plinth. The ground floor frame survives intact beneath the later lean-to to the north east. There are irregular small C20 casements. There is a C20 addition to the west.
INTERIOR: The interior of the east wing has a large room to the ground floor with an early C17 brick open fireplace with wooden bressumer and intact curved breadoven. The spine beam has a deep chamfer with lambs tongue stops and the floor joists have been removed. A C20 wooden winder stair in the north eastern corner leads to the upper floor where the separate framing of the two wings is evident. The upper floor of the east wing has the wall frame exposed to the sides and ends, a queen post roof with clasped purlins and the upper part of the brick chimneystack is visible. The northern range ground floor has chamfered spine beams, brick floor to the east and a brick open fireplace with wooden beressumer and the openings for a breadoven. The upper floor has the wall frame exposed, partition walls and one bedroom has a C17 brick fireplace with arched wooden head. A C17 or C18 half-winder staircase survives (with repairs) to the attic which has purlins and some original rafters visible.
HISTORY: The building is shown on the 1871 Ordnance Survey map as Murrells Farm but was called Birtley Cottages by the 1896-7 survey. A late C19 footgate is of a pattern used on the adjacent Witley Park estate suggesting that the building belonged to this estate at this time.
SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE: Despite some C20 additions there are two substantially intact timberframed buildings separately framed, the eastern wing a two bay house of mid C16 date (possibly with smoke bay before the chimney was inserted to the south) and the northern wing an early C17 three bay house of lobby entrance type.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26670935

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

• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)