anxaf 85-B 13481 THE ANCIENT * HALF-TIMBERED HOUSES ENGLAND. BY M. HABERSHON, ARCHITECT, LONDON : PUBLISHED BY J. WEALE, ARCHITECTURAL LIBRARY, 59, HIGH IIOLBORN. ~*- 1836. LONDON: MINTED BY JAMES TAYLOR, 119, FLEET-STREET. TO JOHN HOWARD GALTON, ESQUIRE, HADZOR HOUSE, NEAR DROITWICH. My Dear Sir, it is witii much pleasure that I take advantage of the practice of Authors in the dedication of their Works, to offer a respectful acknow- ledgment for the assistance I have had the honour of receiving’ from you, in the present undertaking. In doing this, I would request very briefly to state, that the circumstances under which it makes its appear- ance are altogether the result of your kindness. It was during my professional visits at Hadzor, seven or eight years ago, that you first turned my attention to this interesting style of English Architecture, by particularly pointing out several beautiful specimens in your own neighbourhood. Subsequently, on a Publication being named, the encouragement which you have in various ways kindly afforded, from that period to the present moment, has been great, effec- tive, and unabating. [ iv ] I should not therefore feel excused without thus offering you my sincere thanks ; and am persuaded that it will neither excite surprise nor require apology, that I have, in the course of the Work, in such various ways, identified it with a Name and Residence with which it is so inseparably associated. I remain, Dear Sir, Yours, very truly And respectfully, Matthew Habershon. « P R E F A C E. It is generally allowed that the study of Topography, and the delineation of ancient Buildings, showing and explaining their peculiar styles of Architecture, is a branch of antiquarian research that is at once useful and interesting. The numerous works of this description which have appeared within the last half-century, have accordingly met with distinguished encouragement and patronage ; and many of them are held in very high and deserved estimation. They have not only afforded entertainment and instruction to the Public in general, but they have been extremely serviceable in raising the architectural taste of the Country, and fixing it on correct and solid principles : and they have likewise put within the reach of its professors, the diversified styles of almost every nation and every age of the world, from the earliest historic period to the present time. Besides the Cathedrals and Churches, the Mansions, Colleges, Halls, and other public and private Buildings of our own Country, there are in existence the most valuable standard works delineating those of Italy, France, Germany, Portugal, and other Nations of Europe, as well as the Ruins of Ancient Greece and Rome, of Palmyra and Balbec, Passtum, and other Cities of Magna-Grecia, and of Egypt and India. The enthusiasm which has thus been mani- fested, in rescuing from neglect the splendid Edifices which are pourtrayed in these produc- tions continues to exist, and promises to accomplish all that in this department of Art can be desired. [ Vi ] In the attraction of such magnificent objects of attention, the more humble though not less interesting portion of the Architecture of England brought before the Public in this W ork, has hitherto, as far as it regards a specific delineation, been very much overlooked and neglected. This, in all probability, is chiefly to be attributed to the principal material with which the Buildings are executed, being almost exclusively Timber. In making this however an objection, it has not been sufficiently considered, that the general outline, the style, and the principles of design, while they are so admirably adapted to the scenery of this Country, are likewise equally applicable to the materials of Brick or Stone, as the practice of the present day abundantly demonstrates. For these specimens are truly and properly a branch of the Elizabethan style now so much in vogue, as all their details and dates testify ; and from the closest observation, the Author has no doubt that nearly the whole of them, if not all, were erected within fifty years before or after the time of Elizabeth, but the greater part of them certainly within the period of her illustrious Reign. And he is of opinion that there are very few Houses, indeed, below the size of Mansions or Castles, existing, of a date anterior to the Reign of Henry VIII. or, at the latest, that of his Predecessor. It has been a principal object in thus bringing these ancient Residences of our forefathers before the Public, not merely to furnish correct and picturesque Views, but, in imitation of the works above alluded to, to render them scientifically useful. For this purpose the most ample details are given, and the Author has endeavoured so to select and arrange them, that they may without difficulty be understood, and easily applied. Unlike the delineations of Roman and Grecian Architecture, where the most correct proportions are required to be observed, and consequently the most accurate admeasurements given, the particular dimensions of the minuter parts in this style are not essential to its proper illustration. Whenever therefore they are given in this Work, it is more for the purpose of a general guidance than a close imitation, their proper application being, in all respects, an entire matter of taste. The specimens which the Author obtained were, in the first instance, almost exclusively [ ™ ] limited to the County of Worcester, and the more immediate neighbourhood of Droitwich. Having, however, obtained information that there were some remarkably fine ones in other places, particularly in Lancashire and Cheshire, he sent one of his pupils, Mr. Ewan Christian, to try to find them out and sketch them. The result of this journey far surpassed his expectation, and produced the most ample and beautiful materials for the completion of the Work. The Author believes there are yet other good specimens scattered about in various parts of the Kingdom, both in country places and in ancient Towns ; and respecting these he would feel grateful to any Gentleman who would either give him any information, or furnish him with Drawings. It only remains for him to acknowledge the polite attentions which have been shown to him in the prosecution of this Work, by the Proprietors of most of these ancient Residences ; in the list of which he begs particularly to express his various obligations to Mrs. Bearcroft of Meer Hall. 61, Mortimer- Street, London, Feb. 1836. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015 https://archive.org/details/ancienthalftimbeOOhabe DESCRIPTION OF THE PLATES. PLATE 1. The Oaks. This fine specimen of the ancient domestic Architecture of England, is in the populous village of West Bromwich, about six miles from Birmingham, between that town and Wolverhampton. It is situate about a quarter of a mile from the public road ; and the path leading to it turns off’ almost immediately opposite the New Church, built a few years ago by His Majesty’s Commissioners. It is nearly embosomed in trees of a full growth ; and, with its groups of high-shafted chimnies, the number and variety of its gables, and its beautiful central turret, or, more properly speaking, its central tower, has a most imposing effect. This tower which rises from the roof, is, I have reason to believe, the finest thing of the kind in the Kingdom. It ranks among Buildings of this description similar to what Wollaton Hall, near Nottingham, the seat of Lord Middleton, does among the Mansions of the great ; and perhaps was originally used for a similar purpose, that of lighting the hall or staircase, although it is now but a common loft. The general form of this House is nearly square ; and it presents a good example how greatly the heaviness of such a form may be relieved and rendered beautiful by a varied outline in the elevation. For picturesque effect, it is an example which, in its various views and aspects of light and shade, may be studied with advantage by the young Architect. It appears to retain very generally its original character and appearance throughout, not bearing in any part the marks of alteration. I could not learn that there was any date marking the time of its erection. The style, however, as indicated by the chimnies and the windows, but particularly by the enrichments on the tower, I should consider to be that of the latter part of the Reign of Henry VIII. [ 2 ] PLATE 2. Elmley Lodge, in the parish of Elmley Lovet, is in the neighbourhood of the road from Worcester to Kidderminster, nine miles from the former place, and is the seat of Brooke Forester, Esq., to whose kindness I am indebted for the following particulars : — “ The whole of this parish and others adjoining were formerly the property of Guy, Earl of Warwick. Of the old Castle or Hall which stood in the Park, nothing remains but part of the old moat which surrounded it. It has the privilege of free warren. Upon the attainder of Warrick, it became the property of the Crown, and was granted by Henry VIII. to Sir Robert Acton ; and by the marriage of Elizabeth, one of the co-heiresses of his grandson, Sir John Acton, with Sir Henry Townshend, it became the property of that Family. It is now in the possession of a younger branch of the Forester Family, through Anne Townshend, one of the co-heiresses and daughters of Robert Townshend ; which lady was the mother of the late Lord Forester of Willey Park, in the County of Shropshire. “ The site of the present Mansion is upon the spot where formerly stood the Park-keeper’s Lodge, which accounts for its present appellation. The present Mansion House was built at different times. The front of one part [as shown in the accompanying View] bears the following carved inscription, ‘Nisi Dominus, 1635,’ in accordance with the 9th verse of the 6th eh. of Deuteronomy. The excellent Bishop Hough, whose niece married Townshend of Elmley, through the infirmities of age wished to resign his Bishopric, (considering himself no longer capable of discharging its duties,) and leave Hartlebury Castle to retire to this favourite spot ; but, upon its being referred to the Crown-lawyers, it was determined that, being a Bishop, he must remain so. “ In the present Mansion is some beautiful tapestry ; one of the subjects of which is a 4 Dutch Wake,’ after the manner of Teniers , including 500 different persons, the colours of which are perfectly fresh. There is also the bowl in which James II. was christened, the gift of George II. and his Queen.” Few half-timbered Houses, I imagine, particularly of this magnitude, will be found to have been built of a later period than this. According to the above date, on the centre principal gable, it was erected more than thirty years after the death of Elizabeth, in the early part of the reign of Charles I. The chief features usually found in this style are in general retained, but their details, as far as they remain, partake more of the character of Italian Architecture than the earlier specimens. The windows are evidently modern. The effect of the whole Building at some points, from the unequal surface of the ground on which it stands, is highly picturesque, and beautifully harmonises with the scenery around it. [ 3 ] PLATE a The Old House, Preston, Lancashire. This fine old Building was erected, according to a date over the right-hand door, in the year 1629, the fifth of Charles I., and is situated in the market-place of this ancient town, which sent Members to Parliament so early as the Reign of Edward I. It is a very beautiful and commanding specimen of the kind of Architecture which so generally prevailed in towns previous to the introduction of stone and brick Houses ; and, as will be likewise observed in the subsequent Plates of this Work, has, in the diversified forms of its timbers, that peculiarly enriched character which is generally found in North Country half-timbered Houses. The lower part in this, as in most other existing specimens of Street Architecture, is modernised ; but the upper part appears untouched, and in a very striking manner gives the effect of those long-continued ranges of windows which are so peculiar to this style. PLATE 4. Porch. Although this Porch and many others of a similar kind, in the County of Worcester, are found attached to Village Churches, yet they are, both in respect to material and style, in such complete harmony with half-timbered Houses, and are so applicable to ornamental Cottages, Lodges, Farm-houses, and other small Buildings, that I have selected a few for this Work. The present one is taken from the Church at Huddington, a seques- tered village a few miles distant from Hadzor, in other respects a small plain Building. It is a good specimen of the Gothic style, and, from the purity of the Architecture, I have no doubt is of a date at least as ancient as the fifteenth century. PLATE 5. Doors. This Plate presents two good specimens of the Doors used at the periods when the respective Houses from which they are taken were built, — that of Salwarp Court of the sixteenth, and that of Elmley Lodge, as already noticed, of the seventeenth century. The former is the entrance-door to Salwarp Court, a view of which will be found in this Work; the carving of the spandrils is of oak, and the character of the Gothic foliage extremely good : — the latter is an inner Door, likewise of oak. The mouldings of both are given full size. PLATE 6. Windows. One of these Windows is taken from The Oaks, at West Bromwich, and is the first ground-floor Window on the shaded side of the House in Plate I. It is here filled in, [ 4 ] as will be perceived from the references, with various designs of glazing from other Houses. The other is from an old House in the village of Huddington. The mullions, transom-rails, and angle-rails of each Window, are given half full size. The accompanying Vignette represents the Woodman’s Lodge at Hadzor, built on the carriage-road in the Park, at the entrance of a beautifully-wooded dell near the House ; and is an example of this style of Architecture applied to modern Buildings, §tpp \V70OB3MIA3TS L ( ;) IllMlir IE fOEABEOR A/? OHO/ T W / CH . f ’ *v 'A/OJ. ‘JO J.3M& VIA/ 3 H J_ M / WORCESTERS HIRE. ir SALWARP COURT. ■ / THE OAKS, WEST BROMWICH, 1 HU DDI N CTOIN . C 'SMOQ N IM vi'ryi/o vyoi/M. :n/jr V • * ' ’C. _• a