Listed Building: BROCKLEY HALL (403982)

TL 85 NW BROCKLEY HAWK'S LANE 4/42 Brockley Hall I Farmhouse, formerly manor house; a late C13 or early C14 aisled hall house, with alterations of C16 and later; possibly for Alexander de Walsham, who held the manor of Brockley from 1303 to c.1338. Hall range with 2 cross-wings; 2 storeys. Timber-framed and rendered. Glazed pantiled roof at front, plaintiled at rear; axial and external chimneys of red brick; the C16 parlour chimney to left has crow-stepping. Mainly C19 casements. Entrance door with 6 fielded panels; oblong fanlight. The main range consists of an aisled hall 10.5 metres long and 8 metres wide, in 2 equal bays. The contemporary narrow crosswing to left was probably the parlour, with solar above. The cross-wing to right is of c.1700, but on the site of the original service cell, some of whose members it reuses. The open truss of the hall consists of a pair of octagonal arcade posts with moulded capitals, straight braces up to the cambered tie-beam and to the arcade-plate, doubled passing-braces which begin at the aisle walls, clasp the post and tie-beam and cross before joining the rafters of the opposite slope. The closed truss at the parlour end of the hall is similar, but the bracing members are plank-like in section and there is additional bracing at low-level. The truss at the service end has almost gone, but had passing-braces. There are 4 additional tie-beams in the hall roof. The main coupled-rafter roofs of hall and parlour wing are almost unaltered. The open truss of the cross-wing has a double-chamfered tie-beam, once knee- braced, with vestigial passing-braces sitting upon the tie beam. The quality of the original carpentry is unusually high. A chimney and first floor were inserted in the hall C16, in two stages. The parlour end refurbished c.1800. A complete, perhaps contemporary, rectangular enclosing moat. Included as grade I, because a rare and relatively complete example of an aisled manor house which retains at the rear some of its original aisle walling. Listing NGR: TL8265355526