Herefordshire timber framing, Allensmore

It's not unusual to come across an old house next to a medieval church. Often these are former vicarages but just as likely is a manor house belonging to the wealthiest person of that period - church and state were mutually supportive and maintained close relations. The timber-framed house shown above is next to Allensmore church, separated I recall, only by change of level. It is insufficiently grand to have been built by anyone of great wealth but its name, Church House, suggests it may have been the dwelling of a priest, though the adjacent old barn may indicate it was a farm house. The framing is classic Herefordshire in style with cheaper squares rather than more expensive close studding. It is on a stone plinth to deter rot, and the original infill has been replaced by bricks. It dates from the mid-1500s; tree-ring dating shows it to be constructed of oaks felled in the summer of 1552.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Restored timber-framing

The former Master's House in Ledbury was the residence of the person in charge of the adjacent St Katharine's Hospital (founded 1231). The present building mainly dates from c.1488 and the eighteenth century. Today, following a major restoration, it serves as the town's library. At the back of the building some timber-framing from the fifteenth century can be seen. It is unusual in that the infill is pillowed and stands proud of the woodwork. The colour of the framing and infill is the same: something that was more commonly seen in the past than today, though current examples are not difficult to find. On the day I took this photograph I was drawn to the raking light accentuating the details of the construction.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

The Chequers Ale House, Leominster

We came upon this timber-framed building as we walked along the oddly named Etnam Street in Leominster, Herefordshire. The leftmost part of what is The Chequers Ale House (a pub), with the leftmost gable, after a cursory glance, appears to be Victorian, but  closer study reveals original box framing, barge boards and bressumer. All the building to the right has close studding, is underbuilt, and could have been erected at the same time, or slighty later, around 1600. The change from plain tiles to Welsh slate on the roof suggests it was divided in terms of ownership, and the rightmost door, with number 67 on it makes me think it still is. It's a difficult building to read without going inside: perhaps we'll drop in for a drink when we are next in Leominster and try and unravel the puzzle. 

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: iPhone

Aubrey's Almshouses, Hereford

We came upon this row of almshouses on Berrington Street, Hereford, quite by chance and immediately recognised them for what they were. We also noticed that, like Webbe's Almshouses in Ross on Wye, the number of dwellings had been reduced to accommodate modern expectations: in this instance six homes (mirrored pairs) are now three, as evidenced by the blocked (and black painted) doorways. Aubrey's Almshouses are a fairly late example of timber-framing - the decorativee curves above the doors indicate this - and a little research show they were endowed c.1630 by Mary Price and available to "poor widows and single women of good character." They are now a Grade II* Listed structure and received this protection in 1952. The conversion to three dwellings dates from 1959.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Look up to see the past

On 5th January 2006 I published an early blog post entitled, "The best is often over our heads". The theme of the piece was that the original architecture of commercial buildings has often been replaced by cheap, plain, fashionable work and that if we wish to see the best of what remains we must look at the upper storeys. I was reminded of this when looking at the timber-framed upper storeys of the Boots shop in Ledbury. The ground floor is C20 corporate in style with the late 1500s work exposed above (the sash windows excepted: these are C18 or C19). But, I now ask myself, is this what was on show in 1600? It could well have been covered in stucco quite soon after construction and the woodwork revealed centuries later. Many Herefordshire buildings have timber framing hidden under later modernisation. Incidentally, these upper storeys can be seen in this photograph of the High Street

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Timber-framed house, Ledbury

"The Steppes" is a timber-framed house on New Street, Ledbury in Herefordshire. It dates from around 1600 and presents a fine example of the builder's art to the street. Why the "Steppes"? Because, like many such buildings it is stepped outwards (jettied) at first and second floor level. It is a close studded example of timber framing in an area where squares prevail. Over the years it has been modified and updated. The windows (with the exception of those in the right gable) are all later, as are the doors and, possibly, the bay. I photographed the building on a day when the autumn light was clear and sharp, illuminating the details of the building to perfection.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Upleadon Court, Gloucestershire

Upleadon Court is a large brick farmhouse with nearby barns that forms a visual group with the church (see photograph below). The main building has a hipped roof, dormers, and modest windows and door. It dates from the eighteenth century. The adjoining timber framed wing is of the seventeenth century. There is a suggestion that the farmhouse was rebuilt after a fire, something that would explain the awkward juxtaposition of the older wing if it was all that remained of the original building. The framing of this structure is typical of the west of England with its square layout of timbers and absence of close studding.
 

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

St Mary the Virgin, Upleadon, Gloucestershire

The church of St Mary at Upleadon, Gloucestershire stands about a mile from the centre of the village next to an old farm. The nave is of the Late Norman period i.e. c.1150 and a round-arched doorway of that time can be seen in the photograph. For the church architecture enthusiast the striking feature of its exterior is the tower, a structure of probably c.1500. It stands on a stone plinth with, above, a timber frame of close studding filled with bricks on all but the east face which is stone.

The pyramidal cap is of green slate. Unusually, the timber frame has no exterior diagonal bracing. Inside the building the framing is visible - cross bracing, heavy timbers, and a belfry floor. The building was closed when we visited but we will return during its brief open period. Incidentally, the dry spring and summer, with attendant high temperatures continues and the sheep in this seemed to have about as little energy as we did.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Stretton Grandison church

The approach to the mainly fourteenth century church of St Lawrence at Stretton Grandison, Herefordshire, is charming. The narrow west tower and spire of the church are accompanied by a tall pine, a nineteenth century lych gate and a thatched, partly timber-framed cottage. The latter was probably built in the seventeenth century though its red sandstone wall is unlikely to be later than the early nineteenth century.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

The Almonry, Evesham

The site of the Benedictine Evesham Abbey is in the town centre on high ground overlooking the River Severn. Within the abbey precincts are, oddly, the town's two medieval parish churches. Of the abbey itself the only substantial remnant is a sixteenth century bell tower. However, there are plentiful fragmentary structures of which one of the most interesting is the Almonry. This domestic building of stone and timber-framing dates from the fourteenth to the seventeenth centuries and today is a small museum with a very eclectic collection of exhibits. It was formerly the residence of the abbey's almoner, an official charged with the distribution of alms to the poor. The photograph was taken in the Almonry's enclosed garden.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Llanthony Secunda Priory, Gloucester

Llanthony Secunda Priory was established in Gloucester in 1136 as a safer offshoot of Llanthony Priory in the Black Mountains of Monmouthshire, a location that was subject to attack during border wars and skirmishes. Nothing remains of Gloucester's priory church or cloisters. Parts of the walls, barns, gatehouse and other domestic buildings can be seen and have recently been subject to restoration and interpretation. The photograph shows a long medieval range of stone and timber-framed construction. Adjoining it is a farmhouse, rebuilt in c.1855-60 by P.C. Hardwick, that gives scant acknowledgement to its venerable neighbour.The whole setting is now an open parkland area near Gloucester Quays and Docks, in which the size of the buildings is somewhat lost. My wife obliged by adding some scale to the scene.

Ledbury timber framing

There are two particularly noticeable buildings on the main street in Ledbury, Herefordshire. One is the timber-framed, black and white, Market House of c.1617. The other is the Barrett Browning Memorial Institute with its prominent clock tower, a competition-winning structure designed by Brightwen Binyon in 1892 and built in 1894-6. It is named after the poet, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, a resident of the area for many years. Pevsner was less than impressed by the building and one can certainly question the materials, colours and aspects of how the overall design sit in the corner location, as well as the dissonant note it strikes across from the Market House. What is undeniable, however, is the importance of the tower as a visual punctuation mark half-way along the main street.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100