Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

House 15th - 16th Century Grade II* listed building. Main construction periods 1467 to 1928 Original building was present by 1467, but modernised c1500. Early C17 alterations

Monument Types

• HOUSE (Medieval to Modern - 1467 AD to 2050 AD)

Full description

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[TQ 80035345] Stoneacre (National Trust) [TI] (1) "At Stoneacre a house existed in the 14th century but nothing now standing can be assigned to a date earlier than 1480 which is that of the Great Hall and south wing. The north wing was rebuilt in the middle of the 16th century. (2) TQ 79965349. Stoneacre: National Trust property, as described above. In excellent condition. See GPs AO/61/74/7 from NE; 74/8 from SW. (3) Checked and correct. (4) (TQ 79975347) Stoneacre (NR). (5) Stoneacre, and path between front door and road. House, formerly farmhouse, now house. Late 15th C or early 16th C, with mid 16th C alterations. Restored circa 1922-1928, by Aymer Vallance, with a re-erected wing from North Bore Place, Chiddingstone,bearing dates 1547 and 1629. Listed Grade II*. (6) Additional Bibliography. (7 - 12)

Description from record TQ 75 SE 159:
The following text is from the original listed building designation:
STONEACRE LANE TQ 75 SE OTHAM (West Side) 3/237 Stoneacre, and path between front door and 25.7.52 road II* House, formerly farmhouse, now house. Late C15 or early C16, with mid C16 alterations. Restored circa 1922-1928, by Aymer Vallance, with a re-erected wing from North Bore Place, Chiddingstone, bearing dates 1547 and 1629. Main range timber-framed, with rendered infilling. North end addition roughly coursed stone to ground floor, first floor rendered, with exposed principal posts. North Bore Place wing with coursed stone to ground floor and exposed framing above. South addition with re-used bricks in English bond from North Bore Place to ground floor and 1920s close-studding with rendered infilling to first floor. Plain tile roofs. East-facing open hall of 2 roughly equal-length timber- framed bays, with integral cross-wing to south, and formerly with storeyed bay or bays to north. Cross-wing comprises 3 timber-framed bays, projecting forwards, with integral 2-storey lean-to on north side, in re-entrant angle between wing and hall. Wing subdivided internally into one 2-bay room on each floor towards front, with access from hall to ground-floor room through "lean-to". Single-bay rear (west) room formerly containing stairs, and with ground-floor access to front room, hall and rear. North end bay or bays replaced in later C16 by linear wing of 2 timber-framed bays. Wing of about 3 first-floor timber-framed bays, from North Bore Place, added in 1920s, running west from west elevation of north wing. Further 1920s addition to south comprising 2 rooms and lobby on first floor. Cross-wing 2 storeys, hall one storey, on stone plinth. Linear north wing, and west wing (North Bore Place) both 2 storeys, garret and cellar: Broadly-spaced close-studding to cross-wing, with tension braces, and with ogee foot braces to plain gable crown-post. Exposed principal posts to hall, and braced intermediate stud to north hall bay. Decorative framing to first floor of west wing, with 3 small square, quadrant-braced panels per storey. Cross-wing jettied to front (including "lean-to") and to rear, with higher eaves than hall, except where "lean-to" eaves continue from hall plate. North wing with higher eaves than hall, gabled to south, half-hipped to north. Hipped roof to south addition. Projecting stack of re-used red and grey bricks in English bond to south addition. Multiple brick stack in front slope of roof to south end of hall. Multiple brick ridge stack towards south end of north wing, and ridge stack towards west end of west wing. Irregular fenestration of 5 leaded windows; one re-used C16 twelve-light mullioned and transomed oriel window on moulded cill, rising to coved timber-framed eaves gable with pierced bargeboards to centre of south addition, removed, with gable, from upper part of east window of hall. One reconstructed 8-light mullioned and transomed oriel window on coved and moulded base, with moulded, brattished cornice and 4-centred arched frieze windows, to first floor of cross-wing. One small 2-light mullioned window to first floor of."lean-to". Reconstructed canted 12-light bay window filling south bay of hall, with stone base, ogee-headed upper lights and moulded cornice. One 6-light mullioned and transomed C19 or early C20 casement to south end of north wing, and blocked window under eaves towards north end. Canted 8-light mullioned and transomed bay window to ground-floor of cross-wing, on stone base, with moulded transom, mullions and cornice. Slender 2-light window to "lean-to" and chamfered rectangular stone cellar light to north wing. Ovolo- moulded mullioned and transomed windows to north gable end. Jettied gable to west wing, with moulded bressumer and pendants, and with solid- spandrel braces under bressumer, forming "apron" each side of moulded 10-light mullioned and transomed oriel window. Braces dated 1547 and 1629. Flush 12-light mullioned and transomed rear window to hall. Moulded 4-centred arched doorway to north end of hall, with trefoiled spandrels and boarded, largely medieval, door. Similar rear doorway to hall with hollow spandrels. Narrow doorway, also similar, to rear of cross-wing. Interior: exposed framing. Variety of moulded beams and cornices, including moulded end-of-hall beams. Rare central crown-post of 4 clustered shafts with moulded capitals and bases, set on moulded, cambered tie-beam with moulded solid-spandrel arch-braces springing from shafted principal posts with reconstructed moulded capitals and bases. Ogee foot-braces to rebated end-of-hall pilaster crown-posts. Ashlar- pieces and moulded cornice. Panelled screen, partly reconstructed, between hall and cross-passage. 4-centred arched doorway between hall and "lean-to" of cross-wing. Front ground-floor room of cross-wing with moulded axial beams and cornice and moulded cross-beam with solid- spandrel braces springing from moulded, shafted posts. First-floor room above with rebated central and pilaster crown-posts and central tie- beam with re-used moulded braces and reconstructed shafts. Original jambs to oriel window of same room grooved for vertically-sliding shutters. C16 moulded 4-centred arched stone fireplaces in situ, to ground and first floors of north wing, and first floor of cross-wing. C16 inserted hall ceiling with moulded cross and axial beams removed to specially-designed room in south addition. Fittings recovered from North Bore Place, and houses in Lynsted and Faversham, and re-used in Stoneacre, include panelling (including linenfold panelling), carved and moulded C16 and C17 stone fireplaces, some with overmantels and one partly painted, 4-centred arched wooden doorways and a wooden newel staircase. Path: stone rubble footpath approximately 30 metres long between front door and garden gate, included for group value. Property of the National Trust. (Country Life, 22nd and 29th March 1930). Listing NGR: TQ7998053494 (15)

Description from record TQ 85 SW 83 :
Original building was present by 1467, but modernised c1500. Early C17 alterations

Archive material (16)

<1> OS 6" 1938-40 (OS Card Reference). SKE48352.

<2> Arch J 82 1928 260 (Aymer Vallance) (OS Card Reference). SKE36691.

<3> F1 ASP 24.11.61 (OS Card Reference). SKE42254.

<4> F2 CFW 24.01.64 (OS Card Reference). SKE43275.

<5> OS 1:10000 1979 (OS Card Reference). SKE48165.

<6> DOE(HHR) District of Maidstone Kent 26 February 1987 129-130 (OS Card Reference). SKE41147.

<7> Bldgs of Eng-West Kent and the Weald 1980 449 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE38175.

<8> County Life March 1930 420 468 (OS Card Reference). SKE39487.

<9> Stoneacre, Otham Kent National Trust Guide (OS Card Reference). SKE49678.

<10> Properties of the National Trust 1980 130 (OS Card Reference). SKE48747.

<11> The National Trust Handbook 1987 120-121 (OS Card Reference). SKE50443.

<12> Arch J 82 1925 260 (OS Card Reference). SKE36690.

<13> Field report for monument TQ 75 SE 8 - November, 1961 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3958.

<14> Field report for monument TQ 75 SE 8 - January, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3959.

<15> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

<16> Historic England, Archive material associated with Stoneacre, Otham, Listed Building (Archive). SKE53982.

Sources and further reading