Old Punch Bowl
Encyclopedia
The Old Punch Bowl is a medieval timber-framed
hall-house
on the High Street in Crawley
, a town and borough
in West Sussex
, England
. Built in the early 15th century, it was used as a farmhouse by about 1600, passing through various owners and sometimes being used for other purposes. Since 1929 it has been in commercial use—firstly as a tearoom
, then as a bank, and since 1994 as a public house
. When built, it was one of five similar hall-houses in the ancient parish of Crawley; it is now one of the oldest and best-preserved buildings in Crawley town centre.
smelting
. The latter had taken place since the Iron Age
in northern Sussex
, where iron ore, lime
and wood (for charcoal
) were readily available. By the 15th century, the industry had declined to some extent but was still locally significant. Although there is no direct structural evidence, a building used in the industry may have occupied the site before the present structure; slag
remnants have been unearthed on the land outside it. Furthermore, the site is very close to the ancient junction of the east–west and northeast–southwest trackways and rudimentary roads which ran between the main furnaces and forges in the area, at places such as Ifield and Bewbush. These ancient tracks were superseded by the High Street, on a north–south alignment, after the Norman Conquest
in the 11th century.
The present building is known to date from the early to mid-15th century. Little is known about its earliest history—for example, its name was not recorded until the mid-16th century. Its original layout is believed to have consisted of four bays
under a single roof of straw, with the centre bays laid out as an open hall and the outer pair each having a staircase leading to first-floor level. The upper floor was jettied
, giving an overhanging appearance. A timber skeleton would have been surrounded by walls of wattle and daub
containing plenty of clay, which is the main component of the soil in the Crawley area. All of these characteristics were typical of "Wealden" houses—a mediaeval style whose name reflects their prevalence in the Weald
, the area of southeast England in which Crawley is situated. A fifth bay, with a crown post roof, was added at the north end in the early 16th century.
The building originally occupied 1 acre (0.404686 ha), but its landholding gradually expanded as the owners acquired more land in Crawley, Ifield and Worth parishes. By 1600, several barns and similar buildings—all with thatched roofs—surrounded it, and the property had become a farm called Bristows Meads, nominally owned by a member of the wealthy Stydolf family from Headley
in neighbouring Surrey
. Ownership and tenancy was very complex at that time, however, and the Stydolf family did not occupy it. Instead it was let
to various occupants. By the 1670s, a farmer called John Wybourne occupied Bristows Meads (also known as Bristow Meads by this time). He expanded the farm by renting more land, and one field later became known as Wybourne Field. The property passed out of Stydolf ownership in the early 18th century, and entered local ownership for the first time in 1785 when an Ifield family acquired it. Soon after this, John Mitchell took up the tenancy, stayed for several decades and became an important part of Crawley life in his role as a tax officer. By the early 19th century the property had become known as Mitchells Farm, superseding its previous name. The variants "The Mychells" and "Mychells Farm" were also known.
In the late 19th century, the building was divided into two houses, and was sometimes described as "The Old Houses" in commercial postcards. One of these houses was opened up to form a shop by its tenants. Meanwhile, the landholding had risen to 70 acres (28.3 ha) throughout Crawley and Worth parishes, and the farm was at one point the largest dairy farm in the area.
The condition of the main building deteriorated in the early 20th century as it passed through more owners. In 1929, a Mrs E. Messer and her husband bought the two houses in quick succession, and also acquired the farmyard, barns and associated buildings. They converted the main building into a single entity again, and oversaw a wide-ranging restoration which brought much of the old timber-framing into view again. Urgent structural repairs were carried out as well. Later in 1929, the Messers sold the building to a Captain L. Young, who applied to change its function from residential to commercial
use. Significant work was undertaken to alter the building and its surroundings to create a tearoom
with a rural ambience. The interior was opened out, a single entrance door was created, the old barns and outbuildings were either removed or integrated with the main building, and 0.5 acre (0.202343 ha) of ornamental gardens were planted. The large chimney breast
which now dominates the north face of the building was also added as part of these alterations, which took place in 1930. During that year, it reopened as "Ye Olde Punch Bowle" tearoom.
The tearoom had a short life but was successful and popular, especially during the Second World War when it doubled as a military mess
, dance-hall and YMCA
meeting place. It was sold for £2,500 in 1952 to National Provincial Bank
, who refurbished it and converted it into a bank branch
. The alterations were sympathetic to the building's style: wood from an ancient demolished church at Treyford
near Midhurst
was used for internal fittings, and the entrance doorway and an extension at the rear were built of local stone. The extension, a large single-storey office, was built in 1963 and looked out over the remaining section of what used to be the tearoom's gardens and ponds. The bank attempted to maintain the character and ambience of the building by filling the rooms with rare antiques; staff often had to rebuff tourists who wanted to buy them.
National Provincial Bank and Westminster Bank
merged in the 1960s to form National Westminster Bank
, and the branch was renamed accordingly. Although a larger branch was opened a short distance away on The Boulevard, the original branch stayed open until 1992. The freehold
of the property was then bought by Greene King Brewery
, who converted it into a public house and reinstated the name "The Old Punch Bowl". Internal and external alterations were made, including the removal of the bank's stone-built extension; this was replaced by outside seating and a patio area.
The Old Punch Bowl was listed at Grade II* by English Heritage
on 21 June 1948; this defines it as a "particularly important building of more than special interest" and of national importance. It is one of twelve Grade II* structures, and 100 listed buildings of all grades, in the Borough of Crawley.
; and Viscountess Wolseley's 1930s review of the historic houses of Sussex identified it as one of the county's two publicly accessible (rather than privately owned) mediaeval hall-houses, along with Alfriston Clergy House
. It has therefore been the subject of several architectural studies.
As originally built, the structure was a partly open-plan hall-house with four bays
. The bays at the north and south ends had joist
s to support exterior jettying
, which originally extended about 18 inches (45.7 cm) over the floor below. The overhang was lessened by later building work. A fifth bay was added at the north end before 1550. This has a different roof profile and more prominent jettying, and may even have been a separate building at first. The recessed central bays forming the main hall are still intact and clearly visible.
The roof is now tiled, although Horsham
stone was used previously and straw may have been used in the building's early history. It is hipped
on the south side and gable
d at the north, behind the modern chimney. The internal roof structure uses crown posts
and queen posts throughout, with a mixture of flat and arched tie-beams
. Except in the south bay, all of the internal timbers are original, albeit with some reconditioning, and the 20th-century work uncovered them for the first time in many years.
The windows are small and, on the upper floor, are just under the eaves
. Two have 16th-century mullion
s, and one in the west face still has triangular holes in which metal bars were mounted to provide some security before window-glass became common.
Hall-houses predated the invention of chimneys, and a wattle-and-daub smoke hood was used until the first chimney was added to the central bay in around 1600. This has been described as a "fine example of a [late] Tudor chimney".
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
hall-house
Wealden hall house
The Wealden hall house is a type of vernacular medieval timber-framed yeoman's house traditional in the south east of England. It is most common in Kent and the east of Sussex but has also been built elsewhere...
on the High Street in Crawley
Crawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
, a town and borough
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
in West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Built in the early 15th century, it was used as a farmhouse by about 1600, passing through various owners and sometimes being used for other purposes. Since 1929 it has been in commercial use—firstly as a tearoom
Tearoom (U.K. and U.S.)
A tearoom is a small room or restaurant where beverages and light meals are served, having a sedate or subdued atmosphere. The term may also refer to a room dedicated to the serving of tea in a private house....
, then as a bank, and since 1994 as a public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
. When built, it was one of five similar hall-houses in the ancient parish of Crawley; it is now one of the oldest and best-preserved buildings in Crawley town centre.
History
The most important industries in the early history of Crawley were farming and ironIron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
smelting
Smelting
Smelting is a form of extractive metallurgy; its main use is to produce a metal from its ore. This includes iron extraction from iron ore, and copper extraction and other base metals from their ores...
. The latter had taken place since the Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
in northern Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, where iron ore, lime
Lime (mineral)
Lime is a general term for calcium-containing inorganic materials, in which carbonates, oxides and hydroxides predominate. Strictly speaking, lime is calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide. It is also the name for a single mineral of the CaO composition, occurring very rarely...
and wood (for charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
) were readily available. By the 15th century, the industry had declined to some extent but was still locally significant. Although there is no direct structural evidence, a building used in the industry may have occupied the site before the present structure; slag
Slag
Slag is a partially vitreous by-product of smelting ore to separate the metal fraction from the unwanted fraction. It can usually be considered to be a mixture of metal oxides and silicon dioxide. However, slags can contain metal sulfides and metal atoms in the elemental form...
remnants have been unearthed on the land outside it. Furthermore, the site is very close to the ancient junction of the east–west and northeast–southwest trackways and rudimentary roads which ran between the main furnaces and forges in the area, at places such as Ifield and Bewbush. These ancient tracks were superseded by the High Street, on a north–south alignment, after the Norman Conquest
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
in the 11th century.
The present building is known to date from the early to mid-15th century. Little is known about its earliest history—for example, its name was not recorded until the mid-16th century. Its original layout is believed to have consisted of four bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
under a single roof of straw, with the centre bays laid out as an open hall and the outer pair each having a staircase leading to first-floor level. The upper floor was jettied
Jettying
Jettying is a building technique used in medieval timber frame buildings in which an upper floor projects beyond the dimensions of the floor below. This has the advantage of increasing the available space in the building without obstructing the street...
, giving an overhanging appearance. A timber skeleton would have been surrounded by walls of wattle and daub
Wattle and daub
Wattle and daub is a composite building material used for making walls, in which a woven lattice of wooden strips called wattle is daubed with a sticky material usually made of some combination of wet soil, clay, sand, animal dung and straw...
containing plenty of clay, which is the main component of the soil in the Crawley area. All of these characteristics were typical of "Wealden" houses—a mediaeval style whose name reflects their prevalence in the Weald
Weald
The Weald is the name given to an area in South East England situated between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It should be regarded as three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the centre; the clay "Low Weald" periphery; and the Greensand Ridge which...
, the area of southeast England in which Crawley is situated. A fifth bay, with a crown post roof, was added at the north end in the early 16th century.
The building originally occupied 1 acre (0.404686 ha), but its landholding gradually expanded as the owners acquired more land in Crawley, Ifield and Worth parishes. By 1600, several barns and similar buildings—all with thatched roofs—surrounded it, and the property had become a farm called Bristows Meads, nominally owned by a member of the wealthy Stydolf family from Headley
Headley, Surrey
Headley is a small village and civil parish in Surrey, England covering 675 hectares.The village is bordered to its west by Leatherhead, to the north by Ashtead and Langley Vale, Walton-on-the-Hill to the east and to its south by Box Hill. It is just outside the M25 motorway encircling...
in neighbouring Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. Ownership and tenancy was very complex at that time, however, and the Stydolf family did not occupy it. Instead it was let
Renting
Renting is an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property owned by another. A gross lease is when the tenant pays a flat rental amount and the landlord pays for all property charges regularly incurred by the ownership from landowners...
to various occupants. By the 1670s, a farmer called John Wybourne occupied Bristows Meads (also known as Bristow Meads by this time). He expanded the farm by renting more land, and one field later became known as Wybourne Field. The property passed out of Stydolf ownership in the early 18th century, and entered local ownership for the first time in 1785 when an Ifield family acquired it. Soon after this, John Mitchell took up the tenancy, stayed for several decades and became an important part of Crawley life in his role as a tax officer. By the early 19th century the property had become known as Mitchells Farm, superseding its previous name. The variants "The Mychells" and "Mychells Farm" were also known.
In the late 19th century, the building was divided into two houses, and was sometimes described as "The Old Houses" in commercial postcards. One of these houses was opened up to form a shop by its tenants. Meanwhile, the landholding had risen to 70 acres (28.3 ha) throughout Crawley and Worth parishes, and the farm was at one point the largest dairy farm in the area.
The condition of the main building deteriorated in the early 20th century as it passed through more owners. In 1929, a Mrs E. Messer and her husband bought the two houses in quick succession, and also acquired the farmyard, barns and associated buildings. They converted the main building into a single entity again, and oversaw a wide-ranging restoration which brought much of the old timber-framing into view again. Urgent structural repairs were carried out as well. Later in 1929, the Messers sold the building to a Captain L. Young, who applied to change its function from residential to commercial
Commercial property
The term commercial property refers to buildings or land intended to generate a profit, either from capital gain or rental income.-Definition:...
use. Significant work was undertaken to alter the building and its surroundings to create a tearoom
Tearoom (U.K. and U.S.)
A tearoom is a small room or restaurant where beverages and light meals are served, having a sedate or subdued atmosphere. The term may also refer to a room dedicated to the serving of tea in a private house....
with a rural ambience. The interior was opened out, a single entrance door was created, the old barns and outbuildings were either removed or integrated with the main building, and 0.5 acre (0.202343 ha) of ornamental gardens were planted. The large chimney breast
Chimney breast
A chimney breast is a portion of a wall which projects forward over a fireplace. Chimney jambs similarly project from the wall, but they do so on either side of the fireplace and serve to support the chimney breast. The interior of a chimney breast is commonly filled with brickwork or concrete....
which now dominates the north face of the building was also added as part of these alterations, which took place in 1930. During that year, it reopened as "Ye Olde Punch Bowle" tearoom.
The tearoom had a short life but was successful and popular, especially during the Second World War when it doubled as a military mess
Mess
A mess is the place where military personnel socialise, eat, and live. In some societies this military usage has extended to other disciplined services eateries such as civilian fire fighting and police forces. The root of mess is the Old French mes, "portion of food" A mess (also called a...
, dance-hall and YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
meeting place. It was sold for £2,500 in 1952 to National Provincial Bank
National Provincial Bank
National Provincial Bank was a British retail bank which operated in England and Wales from 1833 until its merger into the National Westminster Bank in 1970; it remains a registered company but is dormant...
, who refurbished it and converted it into a bank branch
Branch (banking)
A branch, banking center or financial center is a retail location where a bank, credit union, or other financial institution offers a wide array of face-to-face and automated services to its customers....
. The alterations were sympathetic to the building's style: wood from an ancient demolished church at Treyford
Elsted and Treyford
Elsted and Treyford is a civil parish in the Chichester district of West Sussex, west of Midhurst. It contains the settlements of Elsted, Elsted Marsh, Treyford, Didling and Hooksway....
near Midhurst
Midhurst
Midhurst is a market town and civil parish in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England, with a population of 4,889 in 2001. The town is situated on the River Rother and is home to the ruin of the Tudor Cowdray House and the stately Victorian Cowdray Park...
was used for internal fittings, and the entrance doorway and an extension at the rear were built of local stone. The extension, a large single-storey office, was built in 1963 and looked out over the remaining section of what used to be the tearoom's gardens and ponds. The bank attempted to maintain the character and ambience of the building by filling the rooms with rare antiques; staff often had to rebuff tourists who wanted to buy them.
National Provincial Bank and Westminster Bank
Westminster Bank
Westminster Bank was a British retail bank which operated in England and Wales from 1834 until its merger into the National Westminster Bank in 1970; it remains a registered company but is dormant...
merged in the 1960s to form National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank Plc, commonly known as NatWest, is the largest retail and commercial bank in the United Kingdom and has been part of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc since 2000. The Royal Bank of Scotland Group is ranked as the second largest bank in the world by assets...
, and the branch was renamed accordingly. Although a larger branch was opened a short distance away on The Boulevard, the original branch stayed open until 1992. The freehold
Fee simple
In English law, a fee simple is an estate in land, a form of freehold ownership. It is the most common way that real estate is owned in common law countries, and is ordinarily the most complete ownership interest that can be had in real property short of allodial title, which is often reserved...
of the property was then bought by Greene King Brewery
Greene King Brewery
Greene King is a British brewery established in 1799 in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. It has grown to become one of the largest British owned breweries in the UK through a series of takeovers which have been the subject of some criticism. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent...
, who converted it into a public house and reinstated the name "The Old Punch Bowl". Internal and external alterations were made, including the removal of the bank's stone-built extension; this was replaced by outside seating and a patio area.
The Old Punch Bowl was listed at Grade II* by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
on 21 June 1948; this defines it as a "particularly important building of more than special interest" and of national importance. It is one of twelve Grade II* structures, and 100 listed buildings of all grades, in the Borough of Crawley.
Architecture
The Old Punch Bowl is considered a "good example" of a Wealden hall houseWealden hall house
The Wealden hall house is a type of vernacular medieval timber-framed yeoman's house traditional in the south east of England. It is most common in Kent and the east of Sussex but has also been built elsewhere...
; and Viscountess Wolseley's 1930s review of the historic houses of Sussex identified it as one of the county's two publicly accessible (rather than privately owned) mediaeval hall-houses, along with Alfriston Clergy House
Alfriston Clergy House
Alfriston Clergy House in Alfriston, Polegate, East Sussex, England, was the first property to be acquired by the National Trust. It was purchased in 1896 for £10. The house lies adjacent to the Church of St. Andrew.-History:...
. It has therefore been the subject of several architectural studies.
As originally built, the structure was a partly open-plan hall-house with four bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
. The bays at the north and south ends had joist
Joist
A joist, in architecture and engineering, is one of the horizontal supporting members that run from wall to wall, wall to beam, or beam to beam to support a ceiling, roof, or floor. It may be made of wood, steel, or concrete. Typically, a beam is bigger than, and is thus distinguished from, a joist...
s to support exterior jettying
Jettying
Jettying is a building technique used in medieval timber frame buildings in which an upper floor projects beyond the dimensions of the floor below. This has the advantage of increasing the available space in the building without obstructing the street...
, which originally extended about 18 inches (45.7 cm) over the floor below. The overhang was lessened by later building work. A fifth bay was added at the north end before 1550. This has a different roof profile and more prominent jettying, and may even have been a separate building at first. The recessed central bays forming the main hall are still intact and clearly visible.
The roof is now tiled, although Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
stone was used previously and straw may have been used in the building's early history. It is hipped
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
on the south side and gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d at the north, behind the modern chimney. The internal roof structure uses crown posts
King post
A king post is a central vertical supporting post used in architectural, bridge, or aircraft design applications.-Architecture:...
and queen posts throughout, with a mixture of flat and arched tie-beams
Tie (engineering)
A tie, structural tie, connector, or structural connector is a structural component designed to resist tension. It is the opposite of a strut, which is designed to resist compression. Ties are generally made of galvanized steel...
. Except in the south bay, all of the internal timbers are original, albeit with some reconditioning, and the 20th-century work uncovered them for the first time in many years.
The windows are small and, on the upper floor, are just under the eaves
Eaves
The eaves of a roof are its lower edges. They usually project beyond the walls of the building to carry rain water away.-Etymology:"Eaves" is derived from Old English and is both the singular and plural form of the word.- Function :...
. Two have 16th-century mullion
Mullion
A mullion is a vertical structural element which divides adjacent window units. The primary purpose of the mullion is as a structural support to an arch or lintel above the window opening. Its secondary purpose may be as a rigid support to the glazing of the window...
s, and one in the west face still has triangular holes in which metal bars were mounted to provide some security before window-glass became common.
Hall-houses predated the invention of chimneys, and a wattle-and-daub smoke hood was used until the first chimney was added to the central bay in around 1600. This has been described as a "fine example of a [late] Tudor chimney".