Description

HANBURY CP BROUGHTON GREEN SO 96 SE 4/76 (15/14) Mere Hall 29.12.52 GV I

Country house. c1560, altered early C17 and c1700; further alterations c1830-40 probably by M Habershon. Timber-framed, rendered infill, chamfered sandstone base and plain tiled roofs. Central hall aligned roughly east/west with two cross-wings, all of three framed bays; hall has rear central sandstone chimney with four rebuilt star-shaped brick stacks now enclosed by a C19 addition; front elevation has a late C17 small square addition in angle with west wing and a central porch; cross-wings much altered in C19 and have external sandstone chimneys at the side of their northernmost bays; the east wing chimney has off- sets and a large brick stack; the west wing chimney has three rebuilt star- shaped stacks and is partly enclosed within a timber-framed outshut; at right angles to the rear of the west wing is a large C19 two-storey addition. Two storeys and attic; the front elevation of the hall has a row of five early C17 gables; these and the cross-wing gable ends have moulded bargeboards and finials. Framing: close-set vertical studding throughout; wings have long straight braces across lower corners of both storeys at gable ends, and except for north gable end of west wing, have jettied attic storeys with moulded bressummers on decora- tive consoles; collar and tie-beam trusses have two collars and herringbone, lattice and concave-sided lozenge decoration; attic storey of hall is jettied and has herringbone panels beneath fenestration, and collar and tie-beam trusses with concave-sided lozenge detail; although the hall projection beneath is similarly detailed, its later date is confirmed by the moulded bressummer and console continued behind it. North front elevation: hall has row of large leaded lights, five to left and three to right of porch; first floor has two pairs of sash windows, probably c1700 but with Gothick traceried glazing bars; attic storey has a 5-light ovolo-moulded wood-mullioned window to each gable giving the appearance of a continuous long gallery; the projecting bay has a large leaded ground-floor light and a 4-light first-floor window; central gabled timber porch is c1700 and has spiral Cointhian columns, entablature and broken pediment; the half-glazed door has a moulded architrave; at the centre of the roof ridge is an octagonal open-sided lantern also of c1700 and surmounted by a large ball finial. The left gable end has a ground- and first-floor sash window with traceried glazing bars and an attic light; the right gable end has two ground-floor 12-pane sash windows, a first-floor sash window with traceried glazing bars, and an attic light; in the outshut is a 16-pane sash window. Interior: reported as having a panelled dining room and first floor bedroom at east end of hall. The house was the seat of the Bearcroft Family. The date "1337" appears on a console to the attic storey of the hall but bears no relation to the present house, except possibly the general plan. This is a large and impressive mid-C16 building; the galleried effect of the hall attic storey, the decorative framing and elaborately carved porch are of particular interest. (VCH 3 (ii), p 373; BoE, p 186).

Listing NGR: SO9520261847

External Links

• Wikidata Q17530486

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Recommended Books

• 
  Old House Care and Repair
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  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
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  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6
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  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Old House Handbook 2 Books Bundle Collection (Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair,Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability)
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  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings