West Farleigh Hall
Encyclopedia
West Farleigh Hall, previously known as Smith's Hall, is an 18th-century country house in West Farleigh
, Kent.
, East Sussex
. Davis died in 1766 and the estate passed to his son Sir John Davis who sold it in 1774 to William Perrin. Perrin died in 1820. By 1838, the house was owned by Sir Henry FitzHerbert
, son of Sir William FitzHerbert and his wife Sarah FitzHerbert (née Perrin, and probably William Perrin's niece).
wide arranged symmetrically around a central doorway. The pale red brick façade is divided by projecting brick pilaster
s of darker red rubbed bricks into three equal sized sections. The first floor has nine sash window
s of twelve panes with curved tops - three in each section. the ground floor window arrangement repeats that of the first floor except that the central doorway replaces the central window. The windows on both floors are framed in dark red rubbed bricks with the central voussoir
brick enlarged to appear as a keystone
. Recessed panels of brickwork are placed beneath the windows on each floor. The dark red brick detailing continues up the façade past the cornice
into the brick parapet
. The central doorway is a pair of doors in a later 18th century porch
with a modillioned open pediment
. The doors are larger than the opening with the upper panels concealed behind a lowered lintel
.
The north and south side façades follow the pattern of the west façade but in red and grey brickwork, with pilasters at each side and the panelled parapet. The north façade is five bays wide with twelve pane sash windows on each floor constructed from a galletted ragstone plinth
. The south façade has a brick plinth and the windows here are less regular with blocked windows on the west side at both levels and smaller six pane windows. A projecting bay fills the centre of the façade. The rear façade is divided by a central wing projecting eastwards which turns to the south to form the north and east sides of a courtyard. The rear of the main block has a cornice and two six pane windows. The central wing and its returns have six pane windows on the south side and twelve pane windows on the north side.
Internally, the house has a two-storey timber panelled entrance hall with a balustraded
timber gallery along the wall opposite the door supported by a large fluted Corinthian
column. Steps lead up from each end of the gallery to the first floor. The gallery bridges the main stairs which extends into the central wing. Rooms on the ground floor and first floor off of the hallway feature 17th and 18th century panelling. A room to the rear of the ground floor has 18th century library shelving.
The house is a Grade I listed building. A separate 18th century red and grey brick house in the garden that was formerly the coach house is listed Grade II as is the wall around the grounds.
West Farleigh
West Farleigh is a village and civil parish four miles southwest of Maidstone in the county of Kent. The parish has a population of approximately 450, and is bounded by the civil parishes of East Farleigh, Hunton, Yalding, and over the River Medway by Wateringbury, Teston and Barming. The village...
, Kent.
History
A house on the site of West Farleigh Hall was owned by the Brewer family from the mid-15th century until 1762 when the house and estate was left by Jane Brewer to her cousin Rev. John Davis, Rector of HamseyHamsey
Hamsey is a civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. It is located three miles north of Lewes on the Prime Meridian...
, East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
. Davis died in 1766 and the estate passed to his son Sir John Davis who sold it in 1774 to William Perrin. Perrin died in 1820. By 1838, the house was owned by Sir Henry FitzHerbert
Fitzherbert Baronets
The FitzHerbert Baronetcy, of Tissington in the County of Derby, is a title in the Baronetage of Great Britain. It was created on 22 January 1784 for William FitzHerbert, of Tissington Hall, Derbyshire. The FitzHerberts descend from Norman knights and from the 12th century FitzHerberts of Norbury...
, son of Sir William FitzHerbert and his wife Sarah FitzHerbert (née Perrin, and probably William Perrin's niece).
Buildings
The current house was constructed in 1719 as recorded in the dated rainwater hoppers. It is two-storeys and brick-built with a plain tile roof. The main façade on the west side is nine baysBay (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:...
wide arranged symmetrically around a central doorway. The pale red brick façade is divided by projecting brick pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s of darker red rubbed bricks into three equal sized sections. The first floor has nine sash window
Sash window
A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels or "sashes" that form a frame to hold panes of glass, which are often separated from other panes by narrow muntins...
s of twelve panes with curved tops - three in each section. the ground floor window arrangement repeats that of the first floor except that the central doorway replaces the central window. The windows on both floors are framed in dark red rubbed bricks with the central voussoir
Voussoir
A voussoir is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, used in building an arch or vault.Although each unit in an arch or vault is a voussoir, two units are of distinct functional importance: the keystone and the springer. The keystone is the center stone or masonry unit at the apex of an arch. A...
brick enlarged to appear as a keystone
Keystone (architecture)
A keystone is the wedge-shaped stone piece at the apex of a masonry vault or arch, which is the final piece placed during construction and locks all the stones into position, allowing the arch to bear weight. This makes a keystone very important structurally...
. Recessed panels of brickwork are placed beneath the windows on each floor. The dark red brick detailing continues up the façade past the cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
into the brick parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
. The central doorway is a pair of doors in a later 18th century porch
Porch
A porch is external to the walls of the main building proper, but may be enclosed by screen, latticework, broad windows, or other light frame walls extending from the main structure.There are various styles of porches, all of which depend on the architectural tradition of its location...
with a modillioned open pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
. The doors are larger than the opening with the upper panels concealed behind a lowered lintel
Lintel (architecture)
A lintel can be a load-bearing building component, a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented structural item. It is often found over portals, doors, and windows.-Structural uses:...
.
The north and south side façades follow the pattern of the west façade but in red and grey brickwork, with pilasters at each side and the panelled parapet. The north façade is five bays wide with twelve pane sash windows on each floor constructed from a galletted ragstone plinth
Plinth
In architecture, a plinth is the base or platform upon which a column, pedestal, statue, monument or structure rests. Gottfried Semper's The Four Elements of Architecture posited that the plinth, the hearth, the roof, and the wall make up all of architectural theory. The plinth usually rests...
. The south façade has a brick plinth and the windows here are less regular with blocked windows on the west side at both levels and smaller six pane windows. A projecting bay fills the centre of the façade. The rear façade is divided by a central wing projecting eastwards which turns to the south to form the north and east sides of a courtyard. The rear of the main block has a cornice and two six pane windows. The central wing and its returns have six pane windows on the south side and twelve pane windows on the north side.
Internally, the house has a two-storey timber panelled entrance hall with a balustraded
Baluster
A baluster is a moulded shaft, square or of lathe-turned form, one of various forms of spindle in woodwork, made of stone or wood and sometimes of metal, standing on a unifying footing, and supporting the coping of a parapet or the handrail of a staircase. Multiplied in this way, they form a...
timber gallery along the wall opposite the door supported by a large fluted Corinthian
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
column. Steps lead up from each end of the gallery to the first floor. The gallery bridges the main stairs which extends into the central wing. Rooms on the ground floor and first floor off of the hallway feature 17th and 18th century panelling. A room to the rear of the ground floor has 18th century library shelving.
The house is a Grade I listed building. A separate 18th century red and grey brick house in the garden that was formerly the coach house is listed Grade II as is the wall around the grounds.
External links
- http://viewfinder.english-heritage.org.uk/search/results.aspx?index=0&mainQuery=west%20farleigh%20hall&searchType=all&form=homeNational Monument Record:ViewFinder, English HeritageEnglish HeritageEnglish Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
, Images of West Farleigh Hall from 1920-30s] - The Weald of Kent Surrey & Sussex, Images of West Farleigh Hall from