Building record 979/0/2 - The Last Straw

A 15th century house, remodelled in early 17th century and extended c 18th century. Squared coursed limestone. Thatched roofs with gabled ends.

{1} Nos.30-32 Great Brington. Conversion work on this apparently late C17th stone house revealed interesting fragments of an earlier building. Its present form is of a two and a half storey L-shaped building with a thatch roof. The main wing runs north-east to south-west and it is in this section that the earlier remains occur. The demolition of the partitioning, formed when the house was divided into separate cottages, revealed the lower section of a raised cruck truss with a fillet running along the underside of the beam and terminating in a hall. It was apparent that the ornamental fillet was continued along some removed archbracing to the collar. The cruck blades terminated in a yolk and windbraces gave additional support to the purlins which were partly recessed into the backs of the cruck blades. What was very noticeable in the roof space was the heavy accumulation of soot not only on the structural timbers but also on the thatch.The use of raised cruck trusses and the heavy accumulations of soot are firm indicators that the building originally possessed an open hall with a central hearth. What was surprising was that the thatch was soot covered and therefore must have survived from the open hall period. The roof had apparently never been completely stripped and the owener stated that repair work had shown that the thatch was over four feet thick.
There can be no doubt that the building is of medieval date and the C15th period is probable. Regrettably no other features survive from this period apart from the blocked-up doorway of the through passage.

{2} House in Great Brington. Conversion work in 1977 revealed fragments of an earlier building in the north-east to south-west wing. The house originally had an medieval open hall until it was partitioned into three cottages. It probably dates to the C15th. A blocked doorway is the only other surviving feature from this period.

{3} HOUSE: c15th century, remodelled in c early 17th century and extended c 18th century. Squared coursed limestone. Thatched roofs with gabled ends. Gable end and axial stacks with brick shafts.
PLAN: Three-room and through or cross passage plan, the lower end to right (northeast) with a c 1-room plan wing on the front of the high left end. At least the hall and high end and probably also the low end of the main range were open to the roof and heated from an open hearth fire in the hall. In about the early 17th century an axial stack was inserted into the low end of the hall backing onto the cross-passage, probably when the hall and both ends were floored. There is a 20th century partition
in hall forming axial passage at front.
EXTERIOR: 2 storeys. Asymetrical Four window south-east front. Small casements with leaded panes. Doorway on left with 20th century lean-to porch in angle of projecting gable-ended wing; inner return of wing has c 18th century two and threelight casements with leaded panes, the first floor in small gable. Rear (north-east) has one, three and four-light casements with leaded panes, with eyebrow eaves over first floor windows.
INTERIOR: Hall has chamfered axial ceiling beam with cyma stops and large stone fireplace with similarly stop chamfered timber lintel. Rear room at low (right-hand) end has similar axial beam. Cross beam in parlour (left) is boxed in. Wing also has boxed in cross beam.
Smoke blackened raised cruck truss against high side of hall stack, its apex tenoned into triangular block (yoke), truncated to take large square set ridgepiece. Chamfered moulding with ball stop on south blade of cruck, below missing collar. Large purlins set on backs of cruck blades and some smoke blackened common rafters. Roof over low (north-east) end inaccessible.

{6} Undated photo;

<1> Brown A.E. (Editor), 1978, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1977, p.190-91 (checked) (Journal). SNN2192.

<2> RCHME, 1992, Recording Form, (unchecked) (Recording Form (Not SMR)). SNN59975.

<3> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 11/1003 (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<4> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), G01 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN44900.

<5> McAree D., 2011, Archaeological Building Recording at The Last Straw, Great Brington, Northamptonshire March 2011, (unchecked) (Report). SNN108153.

<6> Photographs of buildings in Brington (Photographs). SNN111901.

Record last edited

Jun 27 2024 12:49PM