Building record WMP 012 - Little Wenham Old Hall

Little Wenham Hall is rightly famed as one of most important medieval domestic buildings in England, and Little Wenham Old Hall plays a significant part in the history of its site. The late-13th century brick and stone tower is not complete in itself but represents only the parlour block of a missing timber-framed open hall that probably extended in the direction of the Old Hall, which lies approximately 100 feet to its west. The date of this open hall’s demolition is unknown, and either it or its replacement may well have continued to occupy the same site when the Old Hall was built. Originally, therefore, the latter may have formed part of the domestic complex, perhaps as a detached service building (medieval and Tudor houses typically possessed services such pantries, butteries and kitchens at the ‘low’ ends of their central halls, with parlours and chapels at the other). The history of the Hall and its site has been published by Edward Martin, although he does not discuss the Old Hall (‘Little Wenham Hall, A Reinterpretation’, Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History, 1998).

The 16th century timber-framed structure of Little Wenham Old Hall (so-called to distinguish it from the new hall of circa 1910, which lies on the opposite side of the medieval ‘castle’) was built in two phases with additions of the 19th and 20th centuries. The axis of the first phase is aligned north-south, while the second formed a cross-wing against its northern gable. With the exception of this northern gable, which is now preserved within the building, the frame of the first structure is almost completely concealed by later lath-and-plaster and precise analysis of its original layout is impossible. The four-bay building was an expensive venture on an impressive scale, measuring 70 feet in length by 19½ feet in width, with closely spaced oak timbers and infill of wattle-and-daub. At 12 inches compared with 16 inches the stud spacing of the northern gable is closer than that of the long walls, suggesting the building was intended to be seen from the direction of the church (the medieval hall seems to have shared this orientation). In other respects however the structure is relatively utilitarian in appearance, and lacks the jetties or moulded joists found in much smaller domestic buildings of the same period. The typical domestic room pattern is also conspicuous by its absence, as the ground-floor was divided by a central partition into two rooms, each of two bays, with plainly chamfered and step-stopped principal ceiling joists that display considerably sapwood and in some areas are poorly finished. The southern room was 33 feet in length and the northern 35 feet, which proportions are far too large for domestic comfort even had the building possessed a chimney. The existing central chimney interrupts the studs of the first-floor partition that divided the upper storey in the same manner as the lower, and is an insertion of the late-16th or 17th century. The ground-floor partition appears to have consisted of brickwork rather than framing as its mid-rail bears neither chamfers nor stud mortises, but this may represent a later alteration. The upper storey possessed no ceiling but was open to its roof structure of clasped purlins with wind braces, which structure, together with other features such as edge-halved-and-bridled scarf joints, suggests a date of construction between 1560 and 1590. The precise purpose of the building remains unclear, but it was evidently an ancillary storage facility of some kind and may have been either a malthouse, mill house, granary, stable, dairy or perhaps a combination of these.

The cross-wing to the north of the building is evidently a later addition as it obstructs an original window in the northern gable, the sill of which remains in situ with empty mortises in the mid-rail above for ‘diamond’ mullions. The closely spaced studs of this gable are not weathered, however, and the addition must have occurred within a very short space of time. The new timber-framed structure is of identical late-16th century character, and also appears to have been oriented to the north as its gables were hipped rather than vertical (as would be expected of a true ‘cross-wing’). It increased the length of the entire building from 70 feet to 87, but projected by 15 feet to the west and formed an L-shape; its heavily timbered ceiling contains a framed void of almost six feet in width that originally held a large chimney dividing each storey into two unequal rooms. Similar structures are found on other high-status 16th century sites, including Lavenham Hall, and can be interpreted as domestic bakehouses for the purposes of baking, brewing, laundry, etc.

The insertion of the present chimney stack into the centre of the original structure may be presumed to mark its conversion into a domestic house, which may have occurred at the same time as the addition of the bakehouse (the latter continued to perform the same role in the 20th century). The existing grates are modern but the outline of a blocked ‘inglenook’ fireplace in the present kitchen suggests a late-16th or early-17th century date. A small wing to the east of the new chimney is also likely to be an addition of this period, which resembles a stair tower but probably contained closets (dressing rooms) as its ceiling appears original. This wing is a genuine timber-framed structure but is externally clad with mock-Tudor planking. The existing internal partitions of the house date in part from the domestic conversion, which saw the insertion of a pantry against the bakehouse, and in part from 19th and 20th century refurbishments. A mock-Tudor porch and south-western wing were built in circa 1910 (when both roughcast render and imitation studwork was applied to much of the building).