Details
BOUGHTON MONCHELSEA CHURCH HILL
TQ 74 NE (East side)
2/9
Boughton
25.7.52 Monchelsea Place,
and courtyard
buildings
GV
I
Country house. Circa 1567-75, (but possibly started c.1551-54) and probably
built as an addition to an earlier house to west. Alterations and additions
of circa 1685-90, circa 1785-1805, and 1819. Ragstone, roughly coursed from
immediately south of porch to north gable end. South end room and whole of
south return elevation more evenly coursed. Coursed galleted stone to upper
part of east porch. Plain tile roof. East and south ranges of a former
courtyard house. East facing mid C16 L-plan range comprises one narrow room
room to west return at south end, and 3 principal rooms on ground floor of
main range. Two-bay central room or entrance hall was probably, until late
C17, of 2-storey height, with attic floor over, and probably incorporated an
undershot cross (or screens) - passage to north end (now absorbed within
entrance hall). First floor of main range probably comprised one room to
south end, and a larger principal room to north of hall, extended over
cross-passage, and possibly with smaller chamber to north end. Rectangular
C16 stone west stair turret, probably built slightly after walls of main
range, overlapping cross-passage and principal room. 2-storey stone east
porch (probably of C16 origin, possibly with C19 re-worked ground floor),
centrally placed by c.1720. Late C17 brick staircase hall parallel to rear
(west) of main range, infilling gap between C16 stair turret and short south-
west return. Range running west from south-west return probably of pre-C16
origin, largely rebuilt in 1819. North and west ranges demolished by 1819
(possibly in mid-to-late C18), and replaced, probably in about 1819, by
continuous range of red-and-grey brick outbuildings. Late C18 or early C19
two-storey red brick section on stone base to east end of north range. 2-
storeys, attics and cellar. East elevation: battered plinth to north of
porch. No plinth immediately north of porch, or to south. Low chamfered
stone plinth to south elevation. Ashlared eaves frieze with moulded base
and cornice, said to pass behind gable of porch, and not returned. Early
C19 battlements, returned along south elevation. Roof hipped to south, hip
returning along south elevation. Gable to north with flat-topped finial.
Stack to junction of main range and south-west return, and another to west
end of return. Slender rear (west) stack to south end of entrance hall, 3
rear stacks to north of centre, and projecting gable-end stack to north.
2 further stacks to rest of south range. 4 late-C16 gabled stone eaves
dormers, with flat tops, kneelers, and 2-light Gothick windows with stone
labels. Gothick frames set within round-headed C16 stone lights. Irregular
fenestration of 5 tall rectangular stone architraves, one under each dormer
and one to first floor of porch, the latter with hoodmould; possibly late
C17, but with late C18 Gothick lights. 8 similar windows with hoodmoulds to
ground floor; one group of 3 under each first-floor end window, one under
south-central dormer and one adjacent to north of porch. Vertical jamb of
blocked ground-floor door or window under north-central first-floor window,
with projecting stone towards ground under it. Another window jamb between
2 north ground-floor windows. Five late-C16 rectangular two-and-three-light
stone windows with round-headed lights, set along ground floor of south
elevation. 2-storey porch slightly to south of centre, with ashlared ground
floor, chamfered side plinths, and early C19 battlements above a moulded
string; single round-headed light to each side wall of ground floor and
moulded 4-centred arched inner and outer doorways, latter with rectangular
hoodmould and hollow spandrels with shields. Courtyard: north range
apparently built against lower remains of stone north wall of demolished C16
range. West range stops short of 1819 south range, and has C17 wooden clock
turret (bell dated 1647) taken from the pre-1819 south range. Various sash
windows and boarded doors. Hand-in-hand fire insurance plaque to C17 stair
turret. Interior: blocked chamfered rectangular stone doorway concealed in
wall between probable cross-passage and base of C16 stair turret. Stair turret
has pointed-arched stone doorway to base of north wall, blocked by late C17
stack; C16 open well staircase with onion finials to newels, between first
floor and attic, and 4 stone 2-light windows with round-headed lights (some
blocked). Moulded 3- or 4-centred-arched stone doorway between stair turret
and former principal first-floor room. Moulded 4-centred-arched stone
fireplace with hollow spandrels to west wall of same room, with blocked stone
window of 3 round-headed lights high in wall beside it. Altered C16 or C17
panelling. Panelled room fitted with shelves and cupboards within top of
C16 stair turret. C16 or C17 panelling and 4-centred-arched moulded brick
fireplace to north end room of attic. Stone window seats to each dormer.
Side-purlin roof with windbraces. Three C16 or early C17 moulded stone fire-
places, probably re-used, in south range. Late C17 open-well staircase with
turned balusters, ramped moulded hand-rail and bolection-moulded dado
panelling. Moulded plaster ceiling to stair-well. 3 doorways on first-
floor landing with moulded wooden cornices, 2 also with eared architraves.
Late C17 bolection-moulded panelling to room over entrance hall and to small
room formed in ground floor of C16 stair-turret. Bolection-moulded fireplace
to each of the 2 rooms. First floor sash window with thick glazing bars to
north gable end. Late C18 Gothick entrance hall with shallow vaulted ceiling
supported on clustered columns (behind one of which said to be evidence for
C16 (screens-passage?) wall). Wooden shield commemorating 1832 Reform Bill.
Parquet floor with star patterns. 2 Gothick ground-floor fireplaces. Mid
C18 fireplace with fretwork design to south-east ground-floor room. Armorial
stained-glass quarries to north room and entrance hall, bearing dates 1567,
1568 and 1575. Undated quarries to windows of late C17 stair-well, and
fragments of early C17 North German stained glass, in church until c.1832.
C16 family related to Wottons at Boughton Malherbe Place. (Country Life 20th
and 27th June 1963. Guide book, n.d.)
Listing NGR: TQ7716349982
