Listed Building: THE WOODLANDS (280136)

BRUNDISH TANNINGTON ROAD TM 26 NE 6/16 The Woodlands -- I Former farmhouse, probably once a manor house; now divided into 2 dwellings. Mid-late C13 with mid C16 alterations and additions forming a single long range. Timber framed and plastered with remains of ropework-pargetted plaster panels. Thatched roof. 2 storeys. A range of 5 small-paned casement windows of C18-C19 date. C20 thatched entrance porch with boarded door in 2 leaves. To right a small lean-to porch with boarded door. Axial stack with rebuilt shaft; 2 small stacks to left, one against the gable end. The core of the house comprises a 2-bay aisled hall, the aisles rebuilt in narrower form in C16. Only one of the 2 arcade posts in the open truss survives: in section it resembles a rounded square (an unusual form) with a fine moulded capital. One straight brace to the arcade plate survives. The remainder of the open truss is largely intact. There are straight braces from arcade posts to join the rafters of the opposite slope: these are in 2 sections, broken at the tie beam and halved over each other above it. Doubled passing braces clasp the arcade post and the main braces to meet just above collar level. There is an extra tie beam each side of the open truss (one cut through) and 2 over the cross- passage (one removed). Both arcade posts survive in the closed truss at the upper end and the top half of one at the lower end: they are rounded only on the side facing the hall and have remains of moulded half-capitals. The gable wall at the upper end is intact, with passing braces crossing at the apex. The remainder of the structure of the end walls has gone. In the upper bay there is evidence for 2 horizontal ties outwards from the arcade plates: these may have supported gables over the hall windows. Evidence for a former solar cross-wing survives in the form of housing for rafters in the tie beam. The coupled-rafter roof over the hall is intact, as well as the inner ends of the aisle rafters. All members are heavy and well-finished. Inserted floor has plain C16 joists. Mid C16 addition against upper end of hall, the roof-with a single row of clasped purlins. Against the lower end, a larger mid C16 addition set slightly back from the rest of the range and separated from the hall by a C16 stack: good studding with reversed braces, closely-set plain first floor joists, C16 newel stair and a queen-post roof with ridge piece. A rare survival of an aisled hall, of particular importance as the roof is largely unaltered. Remains of moat probably contemporary with hall. Listing NGR: TM2505369219