Summary

Brookfield House, is a timber-framed former farmhouse of late C15 or early C16 origins extended and refurbished in the C17and C18.

Description

DATE: Brookfield House is a detached former farmhouse of possible C15 origins, which had a chimneystack inserted and was re-roofed probably in the later C17 and was re-fronted and extended to the south-east in 1760. A further extension was added to the south-east in 1730, a coal house extension to the north-west circa 1900, a porch was added in the C20 and further refurbishing, including a south-west extension, took place in the early C21. The 2005 south-west garden room is not of special interest.

MATERIALS: timber-framed refronted in brick with a half-hipped tiled roof with brick chimneystack in the rear roof slope and a C19 external chimneystack to the north-west.

PLAN: the oldest fabric is found in the western two bays and was possibly a hall-house with smoke hood to the south. This building was extended to the south, a chimney was added internally and the building was re-modelled in the late C17 as a lobby entrance house which had a south-west extension added in 1830.

EXTERIOR: the principal front to the north-west is of two storeys red brick in Flemish bond with cut pointing. There is a modillion eaves cornice and band between floors. The date 1760 is picked out in black headers over the entrance and there is a Phoenix fire insurance plaque. Windows are C19 casements in original openings except for the two ground floor late C19 canted bay windows. The entrance in the penultimate bay to the south has a wide C17 architrave and a C19 four-panelled door behind the C20 gabled porch. The north-west end wall has a cambered opening with C20 gabled porch and a C19 external chimneystack. Two bricks are inscribed PK 1821 and LK 1821, probably by children of the Kelsey family. The south-west or rear elevation has a catslide roof to the north, an outshot with C18 brickwork, a circa 1900 projection and C19 casement windows. At the south end is a rendered circa 1830 two storey extension with a gable. The south-east elevation is now concealed by the 2005 oak framed garden room with vaulted ceiling and full glazing to side, end of gable.

INTERIOR: the oldest part of the wall frame is visible in the ground floor outshot comprising the former north-west external wall which has timber framing of thick scantling including a curved brace, which was structurally independent of the later chimneystack. The northern part of the outshot, adapted into a bathroom, incorporates a C19 cast iron pump and the original floor gully is still connected to the original well outside. The northern ground floor room (drawing room) stretches over two bays. The northern bay has un-chamfered ceiling beams of thick scantling, probably of late C15 or early C16 date, running north to south. The adjoining bay has a C17 inserted ceiling with beams running east to west. This has a chamfered spine beam and ceiling beams with lamb's tongue stops. The open fireplace was built independently of the main timber frame and lies entirely within it. It was restored in the C20 and is of brick with a wooden bressumer and has cambered side alcoves along the south-west wall. An adjoining door of vertical boards, probably of C17 date, leads to an C18 half-winder staircase. The south-east wall of the drawing room is an C18 partition wall of thin scantling with diagonal braces and incorporates a ledged plank door with C18 strap hinges. The adjoining passage from the front door has a wall frame with diagonal braces and thin ceiling beams running at right angles to the adjoining rooms. A two-panelled door with C17 L-type hinges leads into the dining room to the south which has a spine beam with a two inch chamfer and un-chamfered ceiling joists, originally plastered. The kitchen to the south-west, added circa 1830, has square ceiling joists of thin scantling and an electric servants bells indicator. The adjoining south-east wing was added in 2005 but a ground floor room incorporates a reused beam from a bedroom. A further staircase leads into a first floor passage immediately over the ground floor passage. The south bedroom has an exposed queen post roof with purlins and curved braces and deal floor boards. This structure continues to the rest of the front range although it is not visible in the other bedrooms as they have been ceiled. The queenposts and curved braces of this roof assembly appear to be earlier than the purlins and pegged rafters and some roof timbers appear to be reused, including some curved braces. The bedroom immediately north of the passage has C18 partition walls, a tall two-panelled cupboard door with butterfly hinges to a powder closet and a small wall safe with butterfly hinges over. This room adjoins the C17 chimneystack and may contain a blocked in fireplace. The northern bedroom has partition walls and a midrail. The roof over the 1830 extension appears to be of softwood.

History

The building was formerly in the ownership of Crondall Manor. A building called Pyrk's, described in Latin in the Crondall Customal of 1567 appears similar to a later description of Brookfield House. Early owners of Brookfield House were the Milward family. John Milward, wheelwright, is listed in the Hearth Tax of 1665 as having two hearths and an inventory of the contents shows his house consisted of a chamber over the hall, a milkhouse, a buttery and a second hall, which may indicate the plan of Brookfield House at this time. Between 1758 and 1838 the property was owned by the Miles family and it is thought that the date 1760 inscribed in black brick headers on the front elevation of the house commemorated the marriage between Richard Miles and Elizabeth Cordery at St Peter's Church Yateley. Brookfield House appears on the tithe map and the apportionment shows the occupier as Michael Kelsey who took out a beerhouse application. In the 1861Census the building was recorded as The Wheatsheaf. During the later part of the C19 it was inhabited by female members of the Kelsey family. It appears on the 1878 Hampshire 25 inch Ordnance Survey map with an L-shaped footprint, which is unchanged on the 1891 version. By the 1911 map a small extension has been added to the north-western side and a conservatory on the south eastern side. A detached building is shown to the south west. There is no change on the 1931 sheet but recent maps show a projecting porch on the north-west or entrance front. A garden room was added to the south-east in 2005.

Reasons for Listing

Brookfield House is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural interest: a timber-framed late C15 or early C16 probable open hall adapted into a lobby entrance house in the C17and refronted in brick in 1760;
* Survival of historic fabric: late c15 or early C16 part of rear wall and some ceiling beams, C17 cilign beams, chimneystack, wall frame and roof assembly and 1760 external brick walls;
* Plan form: probable open hall with smoke bay, later adapted to lobby entrance plan;
* Interior fittings: unusual survival of an C18 powder closet and wall safe together with a number of original doors and a half-winder staircase.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26675780

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

• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair by Hunt. Roger ( 2008 ) Hardcover
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The Victorian House Manual (2nd Edition): How They Were Built, Improvements & Refurbishment, Solutions to All Common Defects - Includes Relevant ... ... Properties (Haynes Manual) (Haynes Manuals)
• 
  Hampshire: Winchester and the North (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)