Mid 19th century house, Hamilton Lodge, Parsons Hill, Great Bromley (EHER 80436)

A mid 19th century gault brick-built house in neo-classical aesthetic, and with late 19th and 20th century alterations and extensions. The current house is considered to have replaced an earlier building that was itself constructed during the early 19th century.

June 2022. Heritage assessment. A mid 19th century gault brick-built house with late 19th and 20th century alterations and extensions. The current house is considered to have replaced an earlier building that was itself constructed during the early 19th century. Whilst the architect is not known, it appears that the present building was likely constructed as a private house with associated stabling, gate lodge and walled garden; all carried over from the previous house. The house was historically adorned in a gothic aesthetic that incorporated a central tower, dormer windows and pronounced chimney within the principal façade. Evidently, this style was superseded for a more neo-classical aesthetic that echoed the style of the original, early 19th-century house. The building evolved gradually over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries during which time several extensions and reconfigurations occurred. The ground floor rooms were extensively altered, connected and repurposed, including the change to staircase locations and the widespread removal and addition of internal partitions. The building was acquired in 1948 by Kathleen Palmer who renamed the building Hamilton Lodge and opened a care home for elderly residents and those with learning and physical disabilities. This prompted more change to the building and site, when rooms within the house were further partitioned and additional bathroom facilities were added and bedrooms made smaller. The care home closed in 2017, and the house and site has remained vacant since. The house overlooks an area of garden that provides a rural outlook; however, this is now overgrown and no longer reflects the landscaped character of its historical form. Also on the estate are an early 19th century coach house and gate lodge. <1> During the Second World War the building was apparently used as an ‘RAF Decoding Station’ and the pared back classical style of the present building may be the result of alterations undertaken at this time. <1> <2>