Bradwell Hall (EHER 38627)

The manor house of Bradwell Manor (EHER 45958). The farmhouse from the exterior is a 17th century timber framed two-storey house consisting of a hall running East to West with a crosswing at the East end. However the hall roof is 13th or early 14th century, with passing braces, soulaces and notch-lap joints. It is possible that this roof originally covered an aisled hall. The building was altered in the 18th and 19th centuries and there is a 20th century single-storey extension to the rear. The timber frame is rendered and the South elevation is of brick in Flemish bond, the roof is of plain red tiles.

January 1953. Grade II* listed. Extensive remains of a 13th century probable aisled hall house, with a 14th century inserted crown post roof. Below the wall plate the building dates to the 18th and 19th century. There is a 20th century single-storey extension to the left rear. The building is two-storey, timber framed and rendered, with brick in Flemish bond on the South elevation. The roofs are covered in plain red tile. The doorway is to the right of the crosswing and has fluted pilasters and other detailing. The roof is heavily soot blackened and each rafter pair has soulace-pieces with refined entry notch lapped joints. The central truss had partially passing braces and the 'low end' was hipped beyond a closed truss. The early 14th century crown post is also soot blackened; there are some surviving jowled crownposts and a substantial collar purlin. <1> See photo <2>. Bradwell Hall may have been the original manor house, and extensive 13th century remains of a probable aisled hall survive in the house that stands today. The house is located off the Maldon Road, however cartographic evidence shows a track or road approaching the hall from the East rather than from the North as it does today. The exterior dates from the 17th century and so must have been renovated at this time. The building was extensively rebuilt in the 18th and 19th century. Stables, barns and outbuildings were added in the 18th/19th century. This is possibly when the change to the direction of entry from East to North occurred. <3> The 17th century building contains the remnants of a medieval aisled hall with an early 14th century crown post roof, listed Grade II. A recent sales catalogue describes lawns, a water garden with interlinking ponds, extensive tree planting and a kitchen garden enclosed by box hedging. No information about the plan of the historic garden has ever been found. <4> NRHE data transfer: See also <5>. NRHE summary description: The farmhouse from the exterior is a 17th century timber framed two-storey house consisting of a hall running East to West with a crosswing at the East end. However the hall roof is 13th or early 14th century, with passing braces, soulaces and notch-lap joints. It is possible that this roof originally covered an aisled hall. The building was altered in the 18th and 19th centuries and there is a 20th century single-storey extension to the rear. The timber frame is rendered and the South elevation is of brick in Flemish bond, the roof is of plain red tiles. No source is provided by NRHE for this information, it has probably been derived from <1>.