Dial Farm Outwell Road

Emneth Norfolk

Fig. 1 General from south east (April 2011)

Analysis of the Special Architectural and Historic Interest NHER:47127 District: Borough of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Stephen Heywood FSA Historic Buildings Officer Historic Environment Service Norfolk County Council

24th May 2011

2

Dial Farm lies on the extreme southern part of Emneth parish and is closer to the village of Outwell. It is also on the boundary between Norfolk and Cambridgeshire. The listed buildings of Dial Farm lie in an interconnecting line on a north west – south east axis. The principal building is the house at the north west end and the reason for the listed status. Attached to this lies a small cottage which was converted into a pool room with accommodation above. This was inserted into a space between a former stable and coach house now converted into a garage for several vehicles, which in turn is attached to a former threshing barn with a porch or midstrey to the north east side and a blocked cart entrance opposite it on the south west side. There are later lean-to extensions along all the buildings to the rear. (Figs 1 & 2).

Fig. 2. Plans. (Grahame Seaton. June 2010)

Dial Farmhouse The house is a very fine Georgian brick house with a symmetrical façade of five bays and two storeys with a further blind attic storey in the tall parapet . The arrangement is bordered by giant order pilasters and there is a central doorway with a flat hood on acanthus carved consoles. The windows were of sashes with apparent boxes. The sashes have been replaced with plastic but it appears that the boxes have been left in situ. The window openings have fine rubbed brick skewback arches and their reveals are made of soft red brick whilst the main fabric is of the local hard buff coloured brick. (fig. 3). The façade is divided by a three-course platband of red brick and a very fine moulded or rubbed brick cornice with dentils and cyma recta and reversa mouldings (fig. 4). The first floor window in the centre bay has a moulded soffit to the skewback arch and directly above it is the eponymous dial which is a sundial. The dial is painted with black numerals on a white ground but faintly visible through the painted surface the date and initials can be just made out. There were three initials with one above two. The left hand initial cannot be deciphered. The roman numerals showing the date run along the bottom of the dial and read: MDCCXXX (1730). The initials above are J to the centre top with ? : M beneath. There is the faint impression of the top of a letter obscured by the dial but the decorative ironwork forms a letter ‘J’ in this position and may be an attempt at maintaining it (Fig. 5). It is clear that the dial was not an original feature as it obscures

House Games room cottage

Coach house/ garage

Barn

3

Fig. 3

Cyma recta

Cyma reversa

Fig. 4. (April 2011)

4

Fig. 5

the inscribed date stone. Better understanding will be gained by close inspection when the occasion arises. The rear of the building has cross mullion windows which is the type of window which immediately precedes the introduction of sashes and was commonly still used on the less prominent elevations. The roof covering is of modern concrete tiles. The plan of the building is simple - of three cells with gable–end stacks and a central stair hall. The interior of the building is panelled throughout with painted raised and fielded panels, prominent moulded cornices and dado rails The staircase is a fine

Fig 7

Fig 6

5

piece with open string and turned balusters with square unturned blocks at three per tread and elaborately carved tread ends (Figs 6 & 7). The substantial handrail is generously wreathed at the foot of the stair which stands on a stone floor of diagonally laid square stone slabs. There is also a panelled dado. The north western room has an interesting arrangement on the north wall. It contains a large advanced archway emphasised with a pair of fluted pilasters supporting a Doric entablature. The arrangement is flanked by semicircular-headed doorways one of which opens to a shelved niche with semi-dome. The principal archway probably lead into a walled garden which is still shown on the 1883 Ordnance Survey map (figs 8 & 9). The present opening is a modern window with very clear evidence of disturbed brick around it.

Fig. 8. North wall of north west room.

Fig. 9 . Ordnance survey extract. (1886-8)

6

The Games Room Cottage This is a mid 19th-century infill cottage which has been transformed into a pool room. In order to have to have enough room for cues, the front wall of the house has been hollowed out reducing its thickness. In order to counteract this reduction a skin of brick work has been added to the front creating a disfigurement to what was already fairly humble but respectable (fig. 10). It is constructed of gault brick and plaintiles and has mullion and transom fenestration.

Fig. 10. The Games Room Cottage

The Coach House This building is constructed of neat 19th-century gault brick of different quality to that of the Games Room Cottage. It has a wide inserted opening with modern metal sliding doors. There is a surviving segmental arch to a former window and inside there are some tack hooks still. (Fig. 11). The brick changes to the local brick at a straight joint. The brick is more yellow and uneven than that of the house. It is probable that the barn extended to the straight joint and returned to form a gable-end. When the coach house was added the gable-end was taken down in order to make more room in the coach house. Immediately adjacent to the straight joint is a blocked large archway under a segmental arch corresponding to the coach house yet of the same brick work as the barn (Fig.12). The Barn Further along the barn wall an area of disturbed re-used brick is the former cart entrance opposite the porch from when the building was still used as a threshing barn (Fig. 13). The fabric is of local brick with occasional red brick headers. The gable-end has a large inserted opening with a metal door. The gable itself has continuous tumbling-in and damaged metal tie irons with which may have been initials (Fig. 14).

7

ASAd

Fig. 11. The coach house

Fig. 12. The coach house and barn

Straight joint

8

Fig 13. Former cart entrance (April 2011)

Fig. 14. Barn from south (April 2011)

9

The porch is contemporary with the rest of the barn and is almost as tall. It has a gable with tumbling-in, two upper windows (one reduced) with shutters and a surprisingly low and narrow part –blocked cart entrance (fig. 15).

Fig. 15 Porch gable-end (April 2011)

The Interior of the barn reveals that it has been partially converted in the past. The porch has been filled with two upper floors and in the main space of the barn there is a hearth and chimney. It is not clear what further uses the barn had after ceasing to be a threshing barn The barn has a fine roof with simple 18th-century carpentry of tie beams and separate principal trusses with collars and staggered wedge-tenoned butt purlins. Conclusion. This fine set of buildings with the house at its head has managed to escape irretrievable damage and its quality can be quite easily recovered and enhanced.

• The house is of 1730 • The barn is also of the first half of the 18th century • The coach house was added to the barn in the mid 19th century • The Games Room Cottage was an infill of the second half of the 19th century

Stephen Heywood FSA May 2011