Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Grade II* listed building. Main construction periods 1433 to 1932. C15, C16, C18, C20 House

Monument Types

• HOUSE (Medieval to Modern - 1433 AD to 2050 AD)

Full description

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Description from record TQ 85 SE 73 :
[TQ 8842 5200] Lenham Court [NAT] (1) Lenham Court, Grade II*. House. Mid 15th century, late 16th century, early 18th century and early 20th century. Timber framed with rendered infilling and plain tile roof. Probably Wealden. (2) [TQ 8841 5200] Lenham Court a well preserved domestic building. Published 1:2500 survey correct. (3)

The following text is from the original listed building designation:
LENHAM OLD HAM LANE TQ 85 SE (west side) 4/219 Lenham Court II* House. Mid C15, late C16, early C18 and early C20. Timber framed, with rendered infilling and plain tile roof. Probably a Wealden, possibly recessed to front and rear. Hall of 2 roughly equal bays with storeyed end bay to left and early C18 cross-wing to right 2 bays deep. Early C20 single storey single bay rear wing to right and early C20 addition to left, doubling length of frontage. 2 storeys and attics on plinth. Original building: close studded. Left end bay jettied on moulded dragon post with eaves higher than hall wall plate and roof hipped. Right end bay also jettied with early C20 decorated jettied gable with pendant. Roof hipped to right and continuous with C20 ex- tension to left. Multiple late C16 brick stack in front slope of roof off-centre casement to right gable. Irregular fenestration of 4 early C20 windows with leaded lights; one 3-light casement to left end bay, one canted 2-storey bay window to left bay of hall, one 2-light casement over cross-passage and one canted 5-light oriel to right bay. French doors in original door position at right end of hall. Early C20 addition: Applied close-studding. Left gable jettied and decorated to match right end. Loggia with first floor over to left of this. 6 windows. 2-storey timber- framed porch to right end against left end of original building. C20 ribbed door under porch, with C15 4-centred arched door-head with carved spandrels probably removed from site of French doors. Interior: Heavily moulded brattished dais beam. Rare moulded brattished dais spear, not in its original position, near hall fireplace. Moulded crown post now supporting ground-floor hall ceiling. Principal posts of central truss moulded, and each with one finely- carved engaged column with moulded capital and base. Cambered central truss tie-beam with hollow chamfer and large braces with solid spandrels, joined across centre by fillet. Back door of cross- passage"in situ" with 4-centred arched head and carved spandrels. First floor ceiling of left-hand bay with relatively elaborate early C17 chamfer-stops and of right end bay with ovolo-moulded beams. Roof of right cross-wing has clasped purlins with diminishing principal rafters and small curved windbraces. Other exposed timbers. Early C20 rear bay probably built for panelling it contains; elaborately carved rectangular panels with motifs including heads. Said to have been owned by Elder and Younger Pitt. Owned by Pitt family until late C20. Listing NGR: TQ8842052006 (5)

<1> OS 1:10000 1971 (OS Card Reference). SKE48156.

<2> DOE (HHR) Boro of Maidstone Kent 14 Dec 1984 107 (OS Card Reference). SKE39858.

<3> F1 MJF 12-Mar-86 (OS Card Reference). SKE43025.

<4> Field report for monument TQ 85 SE 28 - March, 1986 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4468.

<5> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

Sources and further reading