Tree House, Crawley
Encyclopedia
Tree House, also known as The Tree, is a mediaeval timber-framed
house on the High Street in Crawley
, a town and borough
in West Sussex
, England
. It is the original manor house
of Crawley, and was built in the early 15th century and rebuilt in the mid-16th century. It now has a modern exterior and is disused, but the old structure is still in place inside. Situated in a prominent position facing both the High Street and The Boulevard, two of Crawley town centre's main roads, its name commemorates an ancient elm
tree which stood outside for hundreds of years and was one of Crawley's landmarks.
. By the late 14th century, there was enough wealth in the area to justify the building of a manor house
. Like other buildings of the era, it was timber-framed
; many of these were demolished when the New Town
was laid out after the Second World War, and Tree House is now the oldest such building on the High Street.
In the mid-16th century, in the midst of a period of rapid construction in the village, the building was substantially extended. Around this time, brick
started to replace timber as the predominant building material in the area; the extension used timber, but soon afterwards a brick "skin" was added around the exterior. This remains in place today.
By the 18th century, Tree House lost its original use and passed into private ownership as part of the Worth Park estate, a country estate
which covered large parts of Crawley (which was by this time a small town). By 1780 the building had started its long association with the medical profession: it was home to a family of doctors for about 130 years, although it was rented from the estate landowner for the whole time. The caricaturist
John Leech also lived at the house for several years from 1833, while training as a medical student. He worked on the magazine Punch
, which at the time was edited by fellow Crawley resident Mark Lemon
, and illustrated Charles Dickens
's series of Christmas stories
in the 1840s. Later, the parish council (which became Crawley Urban District Council in 1956 and Crawley Borough Council in 1974) bought Tree House and used it to house various council services. These have since been moved to new purpose-built accommodation, leaving the building's future uncertain. In particular, it lies within the area covered by the Crawley "Town Centre North" masterplan, which proposes major changes and redevelopment for that part of the town centre. The latest version of the masterplan, dated September 2008, recommends that Tree House should be kept, while allowing "justified" alterations or extensions to be made.
Until the late 20th century, a large barn-style hall stood in the gardens behind Tree House. It was built in the early 15th century as a moot hall
—a mediaeval meeting place for villagers to discuss issues. The two-storey timber-framed building had four bays
on the ground floor and a long room on the first floor. Threatened with demolition and replacement by an office block extension in the 1970s, it was instead dismantled, transported to the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum
at Singleton
and rebuilt there. At the museum, the building is now called the "Upper Hall".
The building's name, which seems to have been used from early in its history, refers to one of Crawley's oldest and most longstanding landmarks. The "Crawley Elm" stood immediately opposite; an ancient, substantial tree, it predated the building. A historical work about the county of Sussex published in 1835 devoted almost all of its summary of Crawley to a discussion of the tree. Another 19th-century author of a work about trees described its "tall, straight stem which ascends to a height of 70 feet[ 21 m] ... [and] the fantastic ruggedness of its roots". At that time its trunk had been partly hollowed out to form a small room which was used for various purposes: as a temporary lodging place for travellers to stay overnight; as a meeting room; and as a billet
. The room had a circumference of about 35 feet (10.7 m), a door and some brickwork. Although the tree was already dying at this stage, parts of it remained until the New Town started to be built in the 1940s.
(south to north, facing High Street) and a solar
(west to east, facing the Boulevard). There is a Sussex stone chimney breast
at the corner. The solar is in better condition, and has three bays
and substantial exposed roof trusses
with king-posts and tie-beams
. The roofline is lower than that of the Great hall section, which is partly covered with slabs of Horsham stone, a material used often in the area. The 18th-century work added a new wing on the west side; changes were made at the northern end in the following century; and the most recent remodelling in 1936 resulted in more changes on this side. The windows are now boarded up, but most were modern.
on 21 June 1948, and is one of 100 listed buildings and structures in the Borough of Crawley. It is currently empty and awaiting redevelopment, but its listed status gives it some protection from demolition or significant alteration. It is owned by Crawley Borough Council, and was used most recently as a venue for various Council-run services and voluntary-sector organisations such as a Citizens Advice Bureau
and a bereavement counselling service. However, it was considered unsuitable for this purpose, being cramped and unpleasant for staff and visitors (for example, there were no toilets on site). Also, the building was within the zone covered by the £700m "Town Centre North" regeneration programme. In November 2006, the Council moved all of the functions previously undertaken in Tree House to a new building elsewhere in the town centre. The building may be redeveloped for cultural use as part of the regeneration scheme. In March 2010, it was identified as a possible location for the town's museum.
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...
house 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...
. It is the original manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
of Crawley, and was built in the early 15th century and rebuilt in the mid-16th century. It now has a modern exterior and is disused, but the old structure is still in place inside. Situated in a prominent position facing both the High Street and The Boulevard, two of Crawley town centre's main roads, its name commemorates an ancient elm
Elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
tree which stood outside for hundreds of years and was one of Crawley's landmarks.
History
Although there was evidence of a small settlement by the 11th century, Crawley started to develop as a village in the 13th century when a charter was granted for a marketMarket
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
. By the late 14th century, there was enough wealth in the area to justify the building of a manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
. Like other buildings of the era, it was timber-framed
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...
; many of these were demolished when the New Town
New towns in the United Kingdom
Below is a list of some of the new towns in the United Kingdom created under the various New Town Acts of the 20th century. Some earlier towns were developed as Garden Cities or overspill estates early in the twentieth century. The New Towns proper were planned to disperse population following the...
was laid out after the Second World War, and Tree House is now the oldest such building on the High Street.
In the mid-16th century, in the midst of a period of rapid construction in the village, the building was substantially extended. Around this time, brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
started to replace timber as the predominant building material in the area; the extension used timber, but soon afterwards a brick "skin" was added around the exterior. This remains in place today.
By the 18th century, Tree House lost its original use and passed into private ownership as part of the Worth Park estate, a country estate
Estate (house)
An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...
which covered large parts of Crawley (which was by this time a small town). By 1780 the building had started its long association with the medical profession: it was home to a family of doctors for about 130 years, although it was rented from the estate landowner for the whole time. The caricaturist
Caricature
A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...
John Leech also lived at the house for several years from 1833, while training as a medical student. He worked on the magazine Punch
Punch (magazine)
Punch, or the London Charivari was a British weekly magazine of humour and satire established in 1841 by Henry Mayhew and engraver Ebenezer Landells. Historically, it was most influential in the 1840s and 50s, when it helped to coin the term "cartoon" in its modern sense as a humorous illustration...
, which at the time was edited by fellow Crawley resident Mark Lemon
Mark Lemon
Mark Lemon was founding editor of both Punch and The Field.-Biography:Lemon was born in London on the 30 November 1809. He was the son of Martin Lemon, a hop merchant, and Alice Collis. His parents married on 26 December 1808 at St Mary, Marylebone, London...
, and illustrated Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
's series of Christmas stories
Bibliography of Charles Dickens
The bibliography of Charles Dickens includes more than a dozen major novels, a large number of short stories , several plays, several nonfiction books, and individual essays and articles...
in the 1840s. Later, the parish council (which became Crawley Urban District Council in 1956 and Crawley Borough Council in 1974) bought Tree House and used it to house various council services. These have since been moved to new purpose-built accommodation, leaving the building's future uncertain. In particular, it lies within the area covered by the Crawley "Town Centre North" masterplan, which proposes major changes and redevelopment for that part of the town centre. The latest version of the masterplan, dated September 2008, recommends that Tree House should be kept, while allowing "justified" alterations or extensions to be made.
Until the late 20th century, a large barn-style hall stood in the gardens behind Tree House. It was built in the early 15th century as a moot hall
Moot hall
A moot hall is meeting or assembly building, traditionally to decide local issues.In Anglo-Saxon England, a low ring-shaped earthwork served as a moot hill or moot mound, where the elders of the hundred would meet to take decisions. Some of these acquired permanent buildings, known as moot halls...
—a mediaeval meeting place for villagers to discuss issues. The two-storey timber-framed building had 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:...
on the ground floor and a long room on the first floor. Threatened with demolition and replacement by an office block extension in the 1970s, it was instead dismantled, transported to the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum
Weald and Downland Open Air Museum
The Weald and Downland Open Air Museum is an open air museum at in Singleton, Sussex, England. The museum covers , with nearly 50 historic buildings dating from the thirteenth to nineteenth centuries, along with gardens, farm animals, walks and a lake....
at Singleton
Singleton, West Sussex
Singleton is a village and civil parish in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It lies in the Lavant valley, north of Chichester on the A286 road to Midhurst.The village name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon 'sengel', which means "burnt clearing"....
and rebuilt there. At the museum, the building is now called the "Upper Hall".
The building's name, which seems to have been used from early in its history, refers to one of Crawley's oldest and most longstanding landmarks. The "Crawley Elm" stood immediately opposite; an ancient, substantial tree, it predated the building. A historical work about the county of Sussex published in 1835 devoted almost all of its summary of Crawley to a discussion of the tree. Another 19th-century author of a work about trees described its "tall, straight stem which ascends to a height of 70 feet
Billet
A billet is a term for living quarters to which a soldier is assigned to sleep. Historically, it referred to a private dwelling that was required to accept the soldier....
. The room had a circumference of about 35 feet (10.7 m), a door and some brickwork. Although the tree was already dying at this stage, parts of it remained until the New Town started to be built in the 1940s.
Architecture
Externally, Tree House has no pre-19th century features, but the original hall house remains inside the external brickwork. It occupies an L-shaped corner plot and consists of a Great hallGreat hall
A great hall is the main room of a royal palace, nobleman's castle or a large manor house in the Middle Ages, and in the country houses of the 16th and early 17th centuries. At that time the word great simply meant big, and had not acquired its modern connotations of excellence...
(south to north, facing High Street) and a solar
Solar (room)
The solar was a room in many English and French medieval manor houses, great houses and castles, generally situated on an upper storey, designed as the family's private living and sleeping quarters...
(west to east, facing the Boulevard). There is a Sussex stone 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....
at the corner. The solar is in better condition, and has three 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:...
and substantial exposed roof trusses
Truss
In architecture and structural engineering, a truss is a structure comprising one or more triangular units constructed with straight members whose ends are connected at joints referred to as nodes. External forces and reactions to those forces are considered to act only at the nodes and result in...
with king-posts and 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...
. The roofline is lower than that of the Great hall section, which is partly covered with slabs of Horsham stone, a material used often in the area. The 18th-century work added a new wing on the west side; changes were made at the northern end in the following century; and the most recent remodelling in 1936 resulted in more changes on this side. The windows are now boarded up, but most were modern.
The building today
Tree House was listed at Grade II by English HeritageEnglish 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, and is one of 100 listed buildings and structures in the Borough of Crawley. It is currently empty and awaiting redevelopment, but its listed status gives it some protection from demolition or significant alteration. It is owned by Crawley Borough Council, and was used most recently as a venue for various Council-run services and voluntary-sector organisations such as a Citizens Advice Bureau
Citizens Advice Bureau
A Citizens Advice Bureau is one of a network of independent charities throughout the UK that give free, confidential information and advice to help people with their money, legal, consumer and other problems....
and a bereavement counselling service. However, it was considered unsuitable for this purpose, being cramped and unpleasant for staff and visitors (for example, there were no toilets on site). Also, the building was within the zone covered by the £700m "Town Centre North" regeneration programme. In November 2006, the Council moved all of the functions previously undertaken in Tree House to a new building elsewhere in the town centre. The building may be redeveloped for cultural use as part of the regeneration scheme. In March 2010, it was identified as a possible location for the town's museum.