Site of Netherhall medieval manor and moat, Roydon (EHER 59)

Site of a 15th century fortified manor house, set within a rectangular moat. The ruins of a mid 15th century, brick-built gatehouse survive but the house has been demolished. The gatehouse is three storeyed, comprising two semi-octagonal towers with the gateway between. Part of the curtain wall survives to the right.

Moat and ruined Tudor manor-house. The moat is complete and still water-filled, and is a single rectangular enclosure with a causeway entrance and a fish pond to the north. It is brick-lined on both sides. The manor of Nether Hall was bought by the Abbey of Waltham in 1280 from Alex de Alrichefy. It subsequently changed hands and shortly before 1470 it became the property of the Colte family. There was a house at Nether Hall in the 13th century. By the later medieval period there were two adjacent but separate houses, both probably built by Thomas Colte (died 1471). The larger of the two houses was a fortified moated manor house in red brick, with diamond patterns picked out in blue, it had a embattled curtain wall with angle towers and a three-storeyed gatehouse. Only the gatehouse and fragments of the curtain wall survives (see EHER 33695), the main building was demolished in about 1773, the gatehouse only being saved by its solidity and the cost of demolishing it (EHER 33695). The ruins consist of the gatehouse, angle towers and part of the curtain wall of a quadrangular fortified house. The RCHM gives the date of building as probably late 15th century. <7> Chancellor believes it dates to around 1506, being built by John, son of Thomas Colt (d 1476). <5> Briden believes Thomas Colt himself commenced the building. <4> The great grandson of Thomas Colt, Henry, sold the estate in 1615, probably to John Archer of Coopersale, in whose family the house remained until its demolition. The house was damaged during the Civil War, although the extent is not known. <3> Both the inner and outer banks of the moat are revetted with brick. The courtyard ranges still stand. Apart from the gatehouse, the most notable feature still standing is a small octagonal brick tower, some 10 ft high, in the north west corner. <17> Mid 15th century red brick gatehouse to fortified house, now mostly demolished. Part of the curtain wall survives on the right, on the remaining sides it is represented by foundations only. The lower part of the north west angle tower survives. Foundation mounds of the domestic buildings are traceable within the walls. Part of curtain wall listed as garden wall. <18> <19> <20> Other refs: <6> <8>-<16> In 1993 two samples of timbers were obtained from the Gatehouse. Both timbers were dated by dendrochronological techniques and are dated from AD 1300-1437. <22> The heartwood/sapwood transition surviving on sample 2 provides a felling date range, and by implication a construction date for the building of between AD 1447 and AD 1492. <21> The second house was located to the west of the moated enclosure (EHER 33692). It comprises a substantial late 14th or early 15th century hall house with jettied cross-wings, an upper floor was inserted into the hall and a chimney stack added in the late 16th or early 17th century. A mid-14th century aisled barn (EHER 33693) also forms part of the farmyard complex. Netherhall Farmhouse remained occupied even after the demolition of Nether Hall. An upper floor was inserted into the late medieval hall and a chimney stack added in the late 16th or early 17th century. A 17th century timber-framed granary (EHER 33694) was added to the farmyard complex. Site Management: = Scheduled as SAM 23 prior to 1972. <1> The area was extended to cover the complete area within the moat in 1972. <2> NRHE data transfer: June 1972. Field Survey. Nether Hall (name verified locally) is as described by the RCHM. The ruins of the gatehouse towers on the south side survive almost to roof height. The north-northwest and southeast octagonal angle turrets survive to around 4.0m in height, the southwest to around 1.5m above the level of the moat, and the northeast is almost completely destroyed. The curtain wall is about 4.0m high on the south side, but elsewhere it is reduced to an average height of around 0.8m. Nothing remains of the house within the central area, which is overgrown with nettles and trees, but a 17th century engraving held at Netherhall Farm shows the house built against the north curtain wall. The rectangular moat, around 10.0m wide and enclosing an area around 50.0m north-south by 30.0m east-west, is still water-filled. See ground photographs. <23><24> Published survey (25") revised. <28> Listed as a strong house by Cathcart King. <29>