lewes heath house, horsmonden, kent. - Archaeology South-East

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Archaeology South-EastLewes Heath House, Horsmonden, Kent,Interpretative Historic building Survey Rev 00 / Nov 06those on either side were sited between the two pairs of windows lighting the hallchamber and parlour chamber. These dormers were not the sole means of lighting thegarret rooms within the main range: further windows were incorporated into each of thetwo stub gables, between the queen studs. Because of the projecting eaves (see below)the windows were positioned deliberately off centre of the gables, ensuring that they lineup with the windows on the storey beneath.Window openings incorporated into the plinth at the eastern end of the front elevation litthe cellar: both are now blocked but retain their segmental-arched brick heads. There isanother similar opening towards the southern end of the eastern end wall.No details are currently known regarding the location and design of the windows whichlit the stair turret.DOORWAYSThe front doorway retains both its original, heavy, boldly-moulded door frame and itstwo-panel counter-boarded door. This is accessed via a short flight of steps. On itsreverse face the door retains its strap hinges and pintles.Most of the internal doorways survive in their original positions and some of theopenings on the ground and first floor retain their simple cyma-moulded architraves.However, not all of the openings, even at ground-floor level, were designed to havearchitraves: the opening leading from the hall into the staircase area has a stopchamferedframe. Some of the period-B two-panel doors survive (ie those leading fromthe lobby into the parlour and hall) though others around the house represent replicas.Of particular interest is the doorway giving access into the hall chamber from the firstfloorlanding at the top of the stairs. This doorway has typical cyma-moulded architravesfacing towards the landing, but is (and always has been) absent of architraves on its hallchamber face. Furthermore, this door was hung on strap hinges rather than butts: thehinge pintles still remain. In contrast, the doorway leading into the parlour chamber hasarchitraves to both faces, reflecting the greater importance of this chamber.FLOORS AND CEILINGSThe joists over the hall and parlour, supporting the first-floor boarding, run east-westalong the axis of the range, being jointed into crossbeams which hang down beneath theunder-plastered ceilings. Given the quality of the house, these under-plastered ceilingsalmost certainly always masked the joists from view. The lower leading edges of thecrossbeams are chamfered, the chamfers being terminated using stepped-and-hollowedstops.In contrast to the construction used to support the first floor, the attic floors over both the- 10 -
Archaeology South-EastLewes Heath House, Horsmonden, Kent,Interpretative Historic building Survey Rev 00 / Nov 06hall chamber and parlour chamber are supported by joists which run north-south, acrossthe axis of the range, being jointed at centre span into girders The girders arechamfered along their lower leading edges, which chamfers terminate with cyma stops.Here too the joists were almost certainly always intended to be masked from view by thepresent under-plastered ceilings. The reason for the variation in the method ofconstruction adopted to support the attic floor is explained by the presence of anoverhang to the front eaves - the joists needed to be aligned in this direction in order tosupport the (assumed) overhanging plate which carries the rafters of the front roof slope.The present ceiling over the cellar, forming the floor of the parlour, is of modernsoftwood, replacing the original.STAIRSPositioned to the rear of the chimney, within its own stair turret, were the stairs givingaccess to both the first floor and attic areas. The original stairs survived until the middleyears of the 20th century, but were by then in an unstable and much decayed condition.In consequence, they were removed and a new staircase inserted elsewhere within thehouse. The original flights to each storey were in two parts, separated from one anotherby half landings located against the rear (southern) wall of the turret. The balustradeincorporated turned balusters with 'barley-sugar-twist ornamentation [pers. com. JasperHubbard, who had the staircase removed].CHIMNEYSA four-flue axial chimney heats the front range, though the fireplace which served theparlour is today blocked. The wide inglenook fireplace serving the hall has jambsconstructed of typical c 1700 brickwork supporting a heavy timber lintel upon which areroughly 'doodled' the initials I B, together with other marks. The list description for thebuilding makes specific note of these initials and implies a possible link with a firebackwithin the house which bears the arms of John Browne of Horsmonden, gunfounder toCharles I and the commonwealth, and the 'greatest of the C17 iron masters of theWeald'. If this connection is valid (and it is a big 'if') then the lintel is reused, for thechimney itself is contemporary with the period-B range within which it is located. For anaccount of John Browne and the Wealden Iron Industry see Henry Cleere and DavidCrossley, 'The Iron Industry of the Weald' (Leicester University Press 1985) pp.172-180.John Browne succeeded his father, Thomas, as ironfounder for the ordnance of theTower and as King's gunstone maker in 1615. He ran a local furnace at Horsmonden,the location of which was a little to the northwest of the village and a little over a mile tothe NNW of Lewes Heath. The existence of one of his firebacks within the house doesnot prove a connection between Browne and Lewes Heath, nor do the initials I B on thefireplace lintel, though the fact that a family bearing the name Browne (in the guise ofLord Montague) once owned the property should be borne in mind.- 11 -
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lewes heath house, horsmonden, kent. - Archaeology South-East

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