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TWO HEADOORN CLOTH HALLS.
BY H. S. COWPER, F.S.A.
HE.A.DOORN HOUSE, No. I.
THE main purpose of this Paper is to record the plans of
two timber-framed buildings at Headcorn, which belong to
a class, as far as I know, undescribed in our Proceedings.
Timber-framed houses in Kent are numerous, and in many
instances of considerable interest, but most are of course of
the usual domestic type. As will be seen in the following
description, the subjects of this Paper belong to a different
and rarer class.
The building I shall first describe is about two hundred
y,trds east of Headcorn Church, on the south side of the
road, towards which it presents its gable, a high pitched
one, which suggests an early building. There are also other
old houses on the same side of the road, but they appear to
be of the normal village types, with their fronts facing the
highway.
The structm:e in question lies nearly north and south,
and the main portion is a rectangular building measuring
82½ by 17½ feet, divided originally into two stories, and
apparently with only one room on the ground floor and one
above. Both t,he ground floor and the next floor have,
however, been divided into several rooms, and the interior
has been so covered up with paper and plaster, that it is
difficult to ftnd any original featm·es, although probably a
good many exist, though hidden. The chimney stack is of
a comparatively modern date ; a floor bas been inserted
about 8½ feet above , t4e first floor and about the eaves
level, and it ,vould b·e necessary to clear away all these
inserted features to expose the original construction. In
the accompanying plan and section this has been done.
The building is framed in three bays, the width of each
between the main posts (centre to centre) being approximately
10 feet, and the unit used in setting out being, I
think, 10½ feet. Mr. R. T. Blom.field, who has given some
notes on these buildings in the Portfolio,* has suggested
that it may have been one bay longer to the south. There
is, however, absolutely no evidence available that this was
the case, although the other building of the same class (to
be described) is much prolong·ed.
The ground floor was apparently one large low room
about 7 feet 9 inches high to the under side of the heavy
girders crossing from main post to main post, and carrying
the Boot· of the upper room. These main posts are substantial
timbers, for they stand nearly 18 feet high, and on
the ground floor are about 15 inches by 17 or 18 inches.
They are moulded on the inner edges (see section, Fig. 1),
and the same moulding is carried round the room as a
cornice along the horizontal beams in the wall, and also
along each side of the girders. The staircase was probably
always where it is indicated in the plan, though now
modernised. The bay window to the north is also modern,
and the lights on each side appear to have been similar to
those upstairs, to be noticed later.
The room upstairs must have been :'}, handsome one
before the insertion of the ceiling. Here we find the main
posts are cut out, forming slender shafts with caps and bases
stu.nding out in solid oak. Above the half octagon which
forms the capital is a bracket-like projection, again surmounted
by a series of mouldings which projects like an
upper capitalt (or a.lmost with the effect of a hammer beam),
and carries the arched principal rafters of the roof.t This
moulded bracket appears to be 2 feet from front to back,
and may possibly be the root end of the tree. The caps and
bases of the slender shafts below curiously va·ry much in
size in the different posts. (See Figs. 2, 8, and 4.)
* The Po,·tfolio, edited by P. G. li:i,merton, London, 188'7, p. 8.
t Tb.is upper oapitu.l i hidden by the later flo:,r, and the mouldings cannot
be examined, but can ouly be traced by touch by passing the Ii.and along them
behind the floor boards.
· ·
r
OLD HOUSES, HEADCORN.
(Tho Gable End is that of House No. 1.)
·'l.'VVO REAbCORN CLOTH UA.Lts. 123
The construction of the roof can only be examined by
going into the attics, but I have shewn it to the best of my
ability in the section {Fig. 5). It may be described as a
truss rafter roof with moulded ribs springing from the post
brackets and dividing each bay. The purlins are also
moulded, and at the intersection of the ribs and purlins, and
on the beam overhead, are fhLt, square spaces, a,s if ornamental
bosses have been removed.* There was originally an oak
cornice all round this hall, continuing the moulding of the
upper bracket. All mouldings in the roof itself are uniform,
as shewn in Fig. 6, shewing the section of a rib.
As regards windows to this room, all those indicated on
the plan at the north aud south ends are of comparatively
recent date, but some idea of the original method of lighting
can be seen at the north end, where we can trace on either
side of the modern window, narrow lights now filled with
plaster, each 1 foot 8 inches wide. These lights are two on
each side facing nortJ1, and one on each side facing east ,tnd
west. ThC:'y appear (as far as can be traced under the pla,ster
and wall paper) to have had round heads, but in their present
condition it is impossible to say more about them. Similar
lights apparently existed on the ground floor directly below,
but nothing like them can be traced at the south end of the
building. A projecting oriel may have existed in the centre
on both floors, but as there was no oversail, the evidence of
this is missing.
The height of this interesting room from floor to apex of
the rafter is about 22½ feet, and as the roof appears to be a
bea.utifully proportioned one, it must have been a handsome
and dignified chamber.
Mr. Blomfi.eld, in his article referred to, remarks that
externally the building is not remarkable, except for the
foiming of the gables, which reproduces the arch of the
principal rafters within-a constructive feature rare in
England, but common iu France. But, as a matter of fact,
* In the first bay from the uorth this boss socket overhead is omitted, and
the mouldings meet.
124 "I'Wo lill:ADCORN cto-r:a HALLS.
weather-boa.rding hides nearly everything except the north
gable and the upper part of the east side. There is, however,
an original bargeboard still remaining, though in a
very decayed condition, on the north gable, and the windows
on both floors appear to have had, between the lights, small
shafts with caps, something like those on the main posts
inside. But these, and the mouldings over the door, are so
decayed that the detail is unrecognizable and cannot be
drawn.
This very interesting building is the earliest timber
structure I have seen in the Weald, and Mr. Blom:field dates
the roof about A..D. 1400. The building attached to it on
the west side may be contemporary.
HEADCORN HOUSE, No. II.
This remarkable building stands to the east of the
Church, with its east front against the high road, while one
gable looks over part of the churchyard. It is quite a
feature as one enters Headcorn from Sutton Valence or
Staplehurst.
The total dimensions of the main block, which is a
parallelogram, is 60 feet by 18 feet on the ground floor, as
originally set out, increased to about 61 feet at the first
floor by an oversailing story, the difference being tilled by
modem brick walling as shewn in the ground plan by hatched
lines. The structure is divided into seven bays by six: pair
of posts and principals.
All the posts south of C are moulded (Fig. 1) on the
ground floor, while north of C they are plain.
Throughout, the building is sadly altered and cut up,
On the ground floor a modern shop has been made at
the south end, and between the points A and B the
original east wall has been cleared away and the posts
m.eroilessly haoked about. The entire block i.s now• in two
l l
11
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11
11
11
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STAIRCA'SE
p_w._..,_._ . -
1-IEADCORN CLOTH HALL N° 1
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flR'f: :fLOOR
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-->- --- -----. ;---------.-t...
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10.
-Jeet
SECTION THROUGH HALL
l,.
Oak 'Post 1slfloo-r
£a.tit Side
H EADCORN· CLOTH HAlL
N?l
i.
3ection. Mo.rnpost
10"
4-
TWO READCORN CLOTH RALLS. 125
tenements,· a bakehouse with shop, and a cottage, and is
divided by numerous modern partitions, and into three
stories instead of two. There are also two inserted chimney
stacks, the dates of which are immaterial, since they had no
pa1·t in the original object of the building. All these
features are omitted in my plan except the modern external
brick walls. The partitions which are shewn are certainly
original ones, except that marked D D, which I am uot certain
of, though I believe it to be so. In t,he first room tLe posts
appear to have been set out 9 feet apa,rt, bnt in the other
rooms only 8 feet apart.
The main entrance was presumably somewhere in the
wall now destroyed to make the shop. I have indicated a
probable position on the plan, but it may have been further
north.
The doors marked E and F F are both original. E leads
to the staircase indicated on the first floor plan. F F have
both depressed Tudor arches, that leading· out of the
building· (originally) having spandrels carved in good style,
similar to those to be described on the first floor.
No original windows cn.n be traced in these lower rooms.
Those on each side of letter C are probably in the position
of original windows.
The height of these lower rooms is 7 feet 8 inches to the
under side of the girder.
On the first floor the orig·inal arrangement, as shewn in
the plan, was three halls open to the roof, the chief apartment
being the southern one, which is of t.hree bays, and
measured 26½ feet by 17 feet.
This room is entered by a Tudor doorway at the north
end oi: the west t$ide from a lobby at the stair head. It is,
of coU1·se, now ceiled in so that the arrangements of the roof
can only be found by examination iu the attics.
This room I have partly described in a note in Vol. XXIX.
(p. 201) of our Proceedings, and I now give a section
(Fig. 2) shewing both :floors and the roof. The latter, as can
be seen, is of the tie-beam and king-post type, and there are
_lare curved braces below the tie.;beam, which form a
126 TWO H8ADCORN CLOTH HALLS.
depressed Tudor arch at the division of each bay. The kingpost
is shewn in Fig. 3.
The interesting thing about this room is the carving of
the spandrels of these braces, which is of excellent character,
"admirably free" as Mr. Blom.field puts it in his description.
0
Fig. 3.
1 regret that the position of this
carving does not lend itself to photography,
aud it requires a much more
skilled hand than mine to make adequate
drawings.*
South .Arch, south side, west spandrel :
Within a cusped quatrefoil, a character
which is either an heraldic chess rook,
or a very unusual letter I. (Fig. 4.)
Same side, east spandrel. The letter
A in a similar quatrefoil. (Fig. 5.)
On the north side in both spandrels
we find a big rose with foliage behind.
No1·th .A1·ch, south side, west spandrel
: .A and I joined by a knot, but
foliage 'behind the letters. (Fig. 6, and
PLATE.)
No1·th .Arch, east spandrel: The chessrook
badge (?) and A joined as above.
(Fig. 7.)
On the north side both spandrels have
leaves and foliage very well treated.
Besides the initials, etc., the spandrels
are ornamented with cusps and trefoil
carving of late Gothic character.
(Fig. 8.)
The main or story posts which carry the tie-beams of
this building are richly moulded (Fig. 9), and the inner
members or mouldings are continued along under the
spandrels which form the Tudor arch. This moulding
finishes at the floor level with an octagonal base similar to
* Since writing the nbove, M1·. Roirinu.ld lllomflol
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