Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Grade II* listed building. Main construction periods 1680 to 1799. No 18 High St - house

Monument Types

• HOUSE (Post Medieval to Modern - 1680 AD to 2050 AD)

Full description

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The following text is from the original listed building designation:
HIGH STREET 1. 1614 (East Side) No 18 (The Old House) TQ 5354/1/8 13.4.51 II* GV 2. Circa 1700. Symmetrical 3.1.3 window facade of 2 storeys with centre pedimented projection. Red brick with blue headers. Flat arches over windows of rubbed red headers. Random stone plinth with red brick quoins and dressings to basement windows. Continuous moulded brick band above ground floor windows with lead arch of rubbed red headers to extreme left above moulded brick band with projecting moulded brick voussoir in centre. This probably indicates that the elevation has been altered at some time and that there was originally a covered yard entrance to extreme left giving access to stables to rear. Heavy, projecting, painted, wooden, moulded, modillioned cornice with concealed boxed leaded gutter and modillioned pediment in centre. Hipped Welsh slate roof with lead ridges and hips. Side elevations with tiled roof. 2 brick stacks symmetrically placed. 4 flat-roofed leaded dormers containing plain wooden casements. Centre C18 panelled door (up 3 stone steps) in moulded doorcase with fanlight over. Fluted Doric pilasters on either side of door with moulded bases and capitals supporting dentilled entablature with triglyph frieze and bowed dentilled pediment above with panelled soffit. Small oval windows with leaded tracery, on either side of doorway. Surround to oval windows of rubbed red headers. 3 sash windows to left on grounds floor with glazing bars intact in moulded exposed frames. 2 similar sash windows to right on ground floor. The third corresponding window to right on ground floor has been divided into 2 slit sash windows with centre mullion. Another small slit sash window has been added to extreme right. First floor with centre sash window over door With glazing bars with hinged casement window inserted on the outside. This centre window is in recessed brick panel. 2 oval windows on either side of centre window, similar to those on either side of doorway on ground floor. 3 sash windows to left on first floor with hinged outer casements. 3 sash windows to right in moulded exposed frames. Painted wooden palings in front of building bordering the street with 4 basement windows and areas. Flat segmental brick arches over basement windows. Late C18 red brick addition to right of main elevation, of 2 storeys with moulded wooden eaves and gutter, and ridge tile roof hipped to right. 2 wide C18 sash windows with glazing bars on ground floor, One similar sash window on first floor. Short brick screen wall to extreme right with C18 century panelled and studded door giving access to passageway at side. Nos 6 to 24 (even) form a group. Listing NGR: TQ5315954372 (1)

Description from record TQ 55 SW 11 :
1614 HIGH STREET (East Side) No 18 (The Old House) TQ 5354/1/8 13.4.51 II* GV (TQ 53165437 - O.S. 1:2500 1966) 2. Circa 1700. Symmetrical 3.1.3 window facade of 2 storeys with centre pedimented projection. Red brick with blue headers. Flat arches over windows of rubbed red headers. Random stone plinth with red brick quoins and dressings to basement windows. Continuous moulded brick band above ground floor windows with lead arch of rubbed red headers to extreme left above moulded brick band with projecting moulded brick voussoir in centre. This probably indicates that the elevation has been altered at some time and that there was originally a covered yard entrance to extreme left giving access to stables to rear. Heavy, projecting, painted, wooden, moulded, modillioned cornice with concealed boxed leaded gutter and modillioned pediment in centre. Hipped Welsh slate roof with lead ridges and hips. Side elevations with tiled roof. 2 brick stacks symmetrically placed. 4 flat-roofed leaded dormers containing plain wooden casements. Centre C18 panelled door (up 3 stone steps) in moulded doorcase with fanlight over. Fluted Doric pilasters on either side of door with moulded bases and capitals supporting dentilled entablature with triglyph frieze and bowed dentilled pediment above with panelled soffit. Small oval windows with leaded tracery, on either side of doorway. Surround to oval windows of rubbed red headers. 3 sash windows to left on ground floor with glazing bars intact in moulded exposed frames. 2 similar sash windows to right on ground floor. The third corresponding window to right on ground floor has been divided into 2 slit sash windows with centre mullion. Another small slit sash window has been added to extreme right. First floor with centre sash window over door with glazing bars with hinged casement window inserted on the outside. This centre window is in recessed brick panel. 2 oval windows on either side of centre window, similar to those on either side of doorway on ground floor. 3 sash windows to left on first floor with hinged outer casements. 3 sash windows to right in moulded exposed frames. Painted wooden palings in front of building bordering the street with 4 basement windows and areas. Flat segmental brick arches over basement windows. Late C18 red brick addition to right of main elevation, of 2 storeys with moulded wooden eaves and gutter, and ridge tile roof hipped to right. 2 wide C18 sash windows with glazing bars on ground floor. One similar sash window on first floor. Short brick screen wall to extreme right with C18 century panelled and studded door giving access to passageway at side. (2) Old House, fine front of c.1700, very awkwardly placed on the corner. Red brick flecked with blue vitrified bricks. Seven bays, two storeys, hipped slate roof. Centre bay is wide and breaks forward with brick ovals flanking window and doorway. It is indeed just wide enough to accommodate a steep pediment. White dentilled cornice. White doorcase, a broad segmental pediment on flinted Doric pilasters. (3)

In 1994 a survey on the cellars in Sevenoaks was conducted and this fell within the survey area. Bell House was orginally the Victorian gardener/grooms cottage butt he land belonged to the Old House 18 High Street and there is no cellar. (4)

<1> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

<2> DOE (HHR) Dist. of Sevenoaks. U.D. Kent. Sept. 1972 14 (OS Card Reference). SKE40452.

<3> Bldgs of Eng W Kent and the Weald 1980 515 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE38011.

<4> ?, 1994, Sevenoaks Cellar Survey (Unpublished document). SKE17186.

Sources and further reading