Elm Farmhouse (EHER 34396)

An early and mid 16th century timber framed house, altered in the 19th and 20th centuries. The house is a mid 16th century long-jetty house facing south, comprising a parlour/solar bay to the left and a floored hall of two bays in the proportion 2:1, with the right (service) bay missing. To the NE of it, one bay of an incomplete early 16th century building is aligned N-S, and jettied to the west. Both have two storeys. The structural features of this building suggest that it was originally of higher status, built on another (probably urban) site in the first quarter of the sixteenth century, and reconstructed on the present site later as a minor ancillary wing behind the service bay of the long-jetty house.

An early and mid 16th century timber framed house, altered in the 19th and 20th centuries. At the time of survey, August 1985, it was undergoing major renovation, and had no wall or roof cladding, and no windows or doors. The house is a mid 16th century long-jetty house facing south, comprising a parlour/solar bay to the left and a floored hall of two bays in the proportion 2:1 (referred to below as block one), with the right (service) bay missing (referred to below as block two). To the NE of it, one bay of an incomplete early 16th century building is aligned N-S, and jettied to the west. Both have two storeys. In block one, all the ground-floor studding had been removed, and the rear wall had been built up in 19th century brick to wall plate height. In the left return on the upper storey there are unglazed windows on either side of the central storey posts, one complete with diamond mullions, and shutter grooves in the tie beam. There is evidence of other unglazed windows below, in the rear wall, and at the front in the shorter bay of the hall chamber. The longer bay has an incomplete oriel window with deep sill, mortices in the jambs for splayed sides, grooved jambs for a vertically sliding shutter, and in the central stud below, peg holes for securing it at various heights, a detail of unusual interest. In the right end wall the central storey post is rebated for twin service doors, and a fragment of one arched head remains. A mortice in the girt indicates the position of the former stair trap, against the rear wall. The floor of the left (parlour/solar) bay comprises a chamfered axial beam with step stops, and plain joists of horizontal section jointed to it with soffit tenons with diminished haunches; there is some evidence of a former stair trap against the partition wall. The floor of the 'hall' comprises a richly moulded axial beam with elaborate stops of unusual design, and similar joists. The cambered tie beam of the open truss has arched braces, and is chamfered with step stops. The crown posts are plain, with thin axial bracing. The original full-length rafters have gauging holes; many rafters have been replaced. On the first floor is a short early 19th century balustrade with bowed handrail and stick balusters. Block two comprises of one bay of a building which formerly extended further in both directions. The posts are jowled, the west wall plate has a slightly splayed scarf with square bridled abutments, the close studding is trenched on the outside for 'Suffolk' bracing. There is evidence of unglazed windows to the west and east on both storeys, the west window above the jetty having rectangular mortices for 5 closely-spaced moulded mullions. The north wall frame has equally-spaced mortices for the studs of a former partition, but jointing for another bay beyond. The south wall frame is an open truss, with no evidence that it was structurally integrated to the missing service bay of block one. The axial beam is chamfered and unstopped; plain joists of horizontal section, very closely spaced, meet it at an oblique angle and are housed into it with soffit tenons No roof timbers survive above tie beam level; the north tie beam has a mortice for a former crown stud; the south tie beam has mortices for deep arched braces, but no evidence of a crown post. One plain bracket survives below the north end of the jetty. The structural features of this building suggest that it was originally of higher status, built on another (probably urban) site in the first quarter of the sixteenth century, and reconstructed on the present site later as a minor ancillary wing behind the service bay of the long-jetty house. <1> <2>