On a recent walk near Mordiford we came upon this derelict old house. It is a classic Herefordshire, timber-framed structure, though quite a bit smaller than most such remaining buildings. It now stands in splendid isolation in a grass paddock but presumably it had adjacent outbuildings, gardens etc. What is interesting is the way it displays the elements of the structure that are usually hidden from view today. A stone plinth supports the timber framework comprising panels filled with vertical wooden staves. These were usually hazel, chestnut or oak. Interwoven horizontally are pliable withies or wands. Here unbarked hazel or ash was usual, the whole forming a basket-like structure onto which was plastered clay mixed with straw or hair. This type of infill is called wattle and daub.
The brick infill is very likely to be a later replacement of the older materials. Any other stonework is associated with a chimney which, of course, needed to be fire-proof. The slate roof will also be later and may have replaced tiles, or less likely, thatch. The brick extension at the back will also be later. When was the house built? It could be as late as the early nineteenth century but is likely to be quite a bit earlier than that. As far as I can see it has not been Listed as being of historic or architectural interest.
photos © T. Boughen Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2
