Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Grade II* listed building. Main construction periods 1757 to 1999

Summary from record TQ 64 NW 23 :

The Postern: listed building

Monument Types

• COUNTRY HOUSE (COUNTRY HOUSE, Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• SITE (Post Medieval to Modern - 1757 AD to 1999 AD)

Full description

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The following text is from the original listed building designation:
TQ 64 NW CAPEL POSTERN LANE, TUDELEY
1/272 The Postern 20.10.54 II*
Large house. Dated 1757 with some C19 and C20 modernisation. Flemish bond red brick on coursed sandstone ashlar footings; brick stacks and chimneyshafts; peg-tile roof.
Plan: House faces south onto the garden with its entrance front on the left (west) side. The house is terraced into the hillside so that the ground floor level is buried on the right side. Double depth plan house, 2 main rooms wide and 2 main rooms deep. Central entrance hall from the west side with the stairs rising to rear. Most rooms are heated by lateral stacks although there is one axial stack. Principal rooms on the south (garden) side with service rooms behind. 3 storeys with secondary single storey service blocks to rear.
Exterior: Principal front to the garden (south) has a symmetrical 5-window front. Ground and first floor have 12-pane sashes and second floor 9-pane sashes. Central doorway contains a C20 part-glazed door with a contemporary Georgian-style doorcase with a segmental pediment. Flat brick bands across the front at first and second floor levels, moulded brick eaves cornice and plain parapet. Roof is hipped both ends. In the centre, above the first floor window there, a brick is inscribed with the date 1757 and the initials J.E..
Entrance front has a 4-window front; it would have been symmetrical with a 5th window right of centre. Similar windows but no flat bands or eaves cornice. Central doorway is wide with an almost round-headed segmental arch containing a 6-panel door with sidelights (with internal shutters for security) and a fanlight with an elegant pattern of glazing bars. Opposite (east) side has casement windows with glazing bars, all with low segmental brick arches. Doorway off the staircase half landing contains a probably C20 part-glazed panelled door with a stone panel above carved with Adams-style decoration.
Interior: Has been somewhat modernised in the C20. For instance the principal ground floor rooms are lined with imported fielded panelling in 2 heights and principal parlour has good but introduced timber chimneypiece. Nevertheless original joinery remains. Roof not inspected.
Listing NGR: TQ6072246206

Description from record TQ 64 NW 23 :
(TQ 6072 4620) The Postern (NAT). (1) large House. Dated 1757 with some C19 and C20 modernisation. Grade II*. (2)

<1> OS 1:10000 1974 (OS Card Reference). SKE48159.

<2> DOE (HHR) District of Tunbridge Wells, Kent (Bidborough et al) 24th Aug 1991 262-263 (OS Card Reference). SKE40542.

Sources and further reading

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