Brickhouse Farm, Colchester Road (EHER 81792)

Farmhouse formerly known as Brickhouse Farm. The two storey, four bay farmhouse with attic, which may have sixteenth century or earlier origins, shows evidence of successive phases of remodelling. Evidence suggests it was encased in the sixteenth or seventeenth century in small rendered, handmade bricks probably sourced from the brickworks known to have existed to the rear of the property. Considerable reworking was carried out during the nineteenth century when the ground and first floor plan was reconfigured. The house underwent further largescale remodelling in the 1980s. The farmhouse has a tile covered roof which was formerly thatched. The farm originally had a number of farm buildings which have been destroyed and a barn which has been converted to residential use.

Information from NRHE: 49 Colchester Road was known as Brickhouse Farm until the mid twentieth century. It was a small steading with a number of farm buildings, including a barn, to the west. The barn has been converted to residential use, but most of the other buildings have been demolished and new dwellings constructed. The building, which may have sixteenth century or earlier origins, bears the evidence of successive phases of remodelling in its fabric. It seems most likely that this structure was originally timber framed, the typical vernacular building construction technique in Essex, but was encased in the sixteenth or seventeenth century with small handmade bricks, probably sourced from the brickworks known to have existed to the rear of the property. Groundworks beneath the rear wall of the building revealed a failed and waterlogged sole plate indicating soil instability in the area and perhaps the reasons for the encasement. Considerable reworking took place during the nineteenth century when the ground and first floor plan was reconfigured, the stacks were constructed, front opening repositioned, main staircase installed, single storey extensions constructed to the rear, window openings altered and the roof structure and covering replaced. The former back stairs from the kitchen to the attic have since been removed. It is possible that the fourth bay was added at this time and the building may have been subdivided into three, but any conclusive evidence of this has been swept away by later remodelling. The present owners bought the house in the 1980s; it required considerable upgrading and refurbishment. The first floor frames were entirely removed, the window frames have been replaced and a two storey extension constructed to the rear. In addition, many architecturally reclaimed items have been inserted including stud framing on the ground and first floors, Victorian and Edwardian fireplaces and wall panelling on the ground floor. A four bay former farmhouse, of sixteenth century and later, reworked and extended nineteenth and twentieth century, of two storeys with an attic. Mostly constructed of rendered handmade red bricks, with walls which decrease in thickness at each storey, the building has a tile-covered roof which was formerly thatched, with a modillion cornice at the overhanging eaves on the façade. There is one rebuilt axial stack of nineteenth century date between the third and fourth bays to the west and a nineteenth century stack at the rear of the east end. The façade, east and west elevations have a plat band. The façade has an off-centre door and a late twentieth century porch projects at the centre. There are inserted nineteenth and twentieth century window openings with late twentieth century frames on all elevations. To the rear there is a single storey extension housing a kitchen and former meat larder or store when the building was a farmhouse. A further two storey extension was constructed in the later twentieth century. On the ground floor, the plan-form has been considerably reconfigured and there is very little in situ framing which remains. Only one transverse bridging beam survives between the third and fourth bay, all other room divisions being of nineteenth century or later brick. Reclaimed panelling and fireplaces have been inserted in the two principal rooms, which do not have fixtures and fittings of historic interest. An early nineteenth century staircase with curtail stop has later nineteenth century replacement newels and twentieth century balusters. The third room to the west has an inglenook fireplace constructed in the late twentieth century from bricks removed from the rear wall which was broken through to accommodate the two storey extension. The attic floor frames and joists are evident on the first floor, which also has a reconfigured plan-form, and comprise chamfered axial and transverse bridging beams with lambs tongue stops and some stud partitions. Twentieth century straight run stairs lead to the attic where a dormer has been inserted to the rear. Some original room partitions remain, but the roof structure comprises rafters of thin scantling, some made from rough branches and all nailed in place, with machine-sawn plank tie beams and collars, and has clearly been altered and renewed. All buildings dating to before 1700 containing a significant proportion of their original fabric may be listed. Number 49 Colchester Road, Weeley retains elements of a vernacular farmhouse, built from locally obtained materials, and reflecting traditional building techniques. When constructed, the farmhouse was probably entirely timber framed and is likely to have had a central entrance and stack heating the two principal rooms on each floor. It is probable that the fourth bay at the west is a later addition, judging from the lower quality studs and joists evident on each floor. The original timber framed building was lost during the encasement of the structure which probably occurred in the sixteenth or seventeenth century. However, the nineteenth century remodelling of both plan-form and replacement of key elements of the building, in particular the roof, chimneys and openings, has overall diminished the architectural quality of the structure. The further loss of framing on the ground floor and refurbishment work of the twentieth century has resulted in the continuing erosion of the historic fabric. The nineteenth century work reduces the interest of the building; the roof structure is poor quality in places and incorporates planking and tree branches. The only surviving early nineteenth century feature is the staircase, but the balusters have been replaced in the twentieth century and the newel post on the landing is late nineteenth century. The building has several apparent phases of reworking, and although it contains some surviving timber frame, a significant portion of the historic fabric no longer remains and the form of the historic building is not discernible. <1>