Swinsty Hall Little Timble, England

Text courtesy of Historic England. © Crown Copyright, reprinted under the Open Government License.

LITTLE TIMBLE HIGH LANE SE 15 SE (east side, off) 6/55 Swinsty Hall - I

Large house. Late C16 - early C17 for Francis Wood and Henry Robinson. Coursed squared grit-stone and ashlar, graduated stone slate roof. Of 3 builds. The main range of 3 storeys and 4 bays. Recessed west range attached to left of 2 storeys, 2 bays and 2-storey, 3-bay range attached at right angle to the rear west range. Quoins and plinth. Main range has gabled 3-storeyed porch projecting to bay 1; the storeyed hall to bays 2 and 3 and a wide projecting gabled wing, bay 4. Bays 3 and 4 project to the rear as a gable stair wing with small heated rooms, the stairs reached from the rear of the hall at the side of the external lateral stack. The porch has a deeply moulded round arch with responds and 3 roses in relief on the soffit, stone shelves or benches and a triangular-headed inner entrance, with moulded chamfer and fern-leaf motif in the spandrels. Ogee-moulded windows throughout. 6-light mullion-and-transom window to porch first floor returning as cross windows to left and right returns. 3 stepped lights to gable. Dripmoulds to ground- and first-floor porch openings, hoodmoulds to all remaining windows. Bays 2 and 3: 10-light mullion-and-transom window with 2 king mullions (straight chamfered) to ground and to first floors; two 2-light mullioned windows under eaves. Bay 4: a 4-light mullion window lights the basement. 6-light mullion-and-transom windows to ground and first floors, each with a king mullion; and window of 4 stepped lights to gable, 2 cross windows to left return to ground and first floors. Gables to bays 1 and 4 have elaborate shaped kneelers carrying tall corniced pyramidal finials. Corniced external stack right. Rear facade of main range: deep- chamfered segmental-arched doorway to projecting stair wing which has 2-, 3- and 4-light mullion windows under hoodmoulds,. shaped kneelers, gable coping and a corniced gable stack. To right is the massive external hall stack with rebuilt banded shaft, a 2-light window to right again. Left return: low west range attached to left; the scar of a pitched roof at first-floor level. Facade of west range: original central entrance with roll-moulded lintel and quoined jambs is now blocked and the inserted doorway far right has plain jambs and the lintel inscribed "T. ? S.". Cavetto-moulded recessed chamfered mullion windows: of 6 and 5 lights to ground floor, of 5 lights above. Hollow-moulded kneeler and gable coping to left; central and end rebuilt banded stacks. Facade of rear range facing rear yard of main range has 2-storey porch with chamfered quoined surround to entrance, shallow triangular-headed lintel. Stepped 3-light window under a hoodmould in gable; shaped kneelers, gable coping and crocketted finial at apex. Recessed chamfered mullion windows throughout: of 2 and 4 lights with hoomould. Massive stack to right gable with 3 diagonal corniced flues. Rear: 2- and 3-light windows under hoodmoulds, a sash window inserted ground floor centre. Interior, main range: entrance passage has blocked doorway through to the west range: entrance right into hall, with chamfered segmental arch to large fireplace in the rear wall; at the east end a short flight of 5 steps to a wooden platform enclosed by a balustrade with double balusters and carved scrolled frieze. The platform is at the level of the floor of the east wing, containing the solar or 'oak room' and small room to rear. These 2 rooms have original pegged plank doors and silvered fittings. The oak room contains panelling with scrolled frieze and an overmantel with 3 round arches in relief containing stylised flower motifs. The stone surround is ovolo-moulded with a shallow triangular head; to left of the fireplace the panelling projects slightly and encloses a small closet or privy chamber. The windows contain glazing bars, some wooden, and glass " R 1672" painted with H G . The rear room has 2 cross beams with reeded chamfer stops carri