New Hall (EHER 38618)

A 15th or 16th century timber framed house with later alterations and additions including an 18th century brick façade. The building is two-storey with attics and has an East-West crosswing. It is suggested that New Hall is in the position of an earlier manor house but there is no evidence to substantiate this. The building was requisitioned for use as Women's Auxiliary Air Force quarters during the Second World War. Summary from record 48501: W.A.A.F. Quarters and MT yard for the Second World War Airfield in a requisitioned house.

December 1959. Grade II listed. A 16th century or earlier timber framed house with later alterations and additions, and an 18th century red brick façade with weatherboarding. The roof is covered in red plain tile, and is hipped to the right with a crosswing extending East-West. The main range has a central red brick chimney stack and the crosswing has two red brick chimney stacks. The building is two-storey with attics. The main range has three segmental headed dormer windows in the roof, behind a brick parapet with coping and a protruding band where it joins the roof. It has a three-window range with small-paned vertically sliding sashes, mainly of tripartite design. The front door has a moulded surround with reveal panels, a frieze and moulded pediment. There is a 'Sun Insurance' plaque to the first floor. Internally, there is a heavy close set timber frame of the original build of the house and crosswing, which has stop chamfered bridging joists, a segmental arched door head to the crosswing on the ground floor. The crosswing has fragments of a simple two-armed crown post roof and the main range has a side purlin roof pegged at the apex, re-using some sooted timbers. There is a large back to back inglenook fireplace, with a flat mantel beam and a cast iron fireback, possibly from elsewhere. Other 18th century features include a newel staircase, panelled doors with moulded surrounds and segmental arches to the doors on the ground and first floor. Some doors have L hinges and there is one small door with cockshead hinges. John Broke of New Hall was presented for not attending Church 1566. <1> See photos <2>. It is suggested that New Hall is in the position of an earlier manor house and compared to Bradwell Hall (EHER 8675) it is certainly better situated for a manor house. However, there is no evidence to substantiate this. There is a record of a 'John Broke' of New Hall being presented for not attending Church in 1566. The house must date to before this and may be 15th century in date. The house is timber framed, two-storey with attics. There were later additions and alterations. In the 18th century it was given red brick facing and weatherboarded. Some of the earlier internal features survive including an inglenook fireplace and many of the later external additions survive. The house appeared to be derelict for a time until the 1940s. A cobbled circular path/track exists in front of outbuildings to the North; K.J. Bruce suggests that this is possibly the site for a “Horse Gin” for driving farm machinery inside the building. <3> <4> The house and grounds were requisitioned during the Second World War for use as Women's Auxiliary Air Force (W.A.A.F.) quarters and a motor transport (MT) yard for the Second World War airfield (EHER 16047). <5>