Poplars Farmhouse (EHER 37214)

Late medieval and late 16th century timber-framed house.

Farmhouse, part late medieval, part late 16th century, extended in the 18th and 20th century. It is timber-framed, plastered, and the roofs are tiled. It consists of a two-bay block aligned north-south, late medieval, with axial chimney stack at north end, and south of it, and structurally distinct from it, a two-bay block aligned east-west, late 16th century, forming an L-plan, with original central chimney stack. There are grooves for sliding shutters at both ends and in the east half of the south wall, at both levels. The house has a clasped purlin roof, framing exposed externally at the east gable. The house contains several imitation antique doors. The house reached its L-plan form before the end of the 16th century, at which time it was probably designed and used as a lobby-entrance house with the main door in the middle of the south elevation, with the older part forming a rear service wing. Ground floor partition between the blocks now removed, and main door moved to west side of north-south block. The house was thatched until about 1969; it was probably tiled originally. The originally separate kitchen/wash-house is of one storey with a hipped roof, fully plastered internally, not datable on present evidence. Formerly no. 16/496 Grade III in the parish of High Roding, RCHM 19. <1>