Summary

The earliest surviving part of Green Manor is a 3-4 bay sub-medieval dwelling of 1½ storeys, presenting a gable end to the Market Place.  This may have originally been built of timber-framing.

The north end bay was later demolished to build a substantial stone 3-bay house facing the Market Place, the roof of which picked up the demolished end of the earlier building.  A sophisticated stone fireplace appears to have been rescued from an earlier building, on site or elsewhere, and built in to the principal upper chamber/solar of this later building.

Description

This very substantial house lies on the south side of Market Square.  Built of stone, originally with a thatched roof, the thatch replaced with red tiles in the 20th century.  The original hollow chamfered stone mullioned windows have been replaced on the north front, but remain at the back, and on the west end gable at the side of the fireplace.

There appear to be two principal historic phases of construction, the earliest, a possible timber-framed building of 1½ storeys, running north-south at an angle to the main front, and a second phase, a stone structure facing the Market Place, erected some 100-150 years later, partly replacing the first building.

First Phase

Of the first phase, three (roof) bays remain, the two trusses showing distinctive features relating to a descent from cruck construction.  These features are the blade like principal rafters, approximately 312 x 90mm in section, rising in an ogee shape to a pegged lap joint in the roof, on top of which was set a square ridge piece.  These principals carried two tiers of trenched purlins, and their feet are now set on stub ties across the head of the wall resting on wall plates. 

It is just possible that the original trusses were true crucks, their lower portion cut off and carried on the stub ties when the walls were replaced in stone. The width of this building is 4.170m. 

A single lapped collar completes the A frame.  Truss 1 is drawn;  truss 2 has been reinforced with steel in recent times, and there is no far end truss.  Where this structure joins the main building, similar blade-like timbers with mortices, adapted as valley boards, may be the re-used remains of a third truss dismantled at the time.  The building must therefore have had one additional bay at the Market Place end.

The position of the entrance to this early house cannot now be ascertained, but is likely to be in the centre bay.  It is possible that the garden of No 10-12 was originally part of the Market Place, which, if  true, would give direct and convenient access to the building.

If the character of the timbers and the construction are a reliable guide to date, then this building probably dates from the early to mid 16th century, the Tudor period.

The courtyard wall of this structure is much thinner than other walls, and retains the early wall-plate, although subsequently heightened to two storeys.  The equivalent plate of the back wall remains internally, but has been stoned over externally, this wall remains at 1½ storeys.

Second phase of building

The second phase appears to date from a century or more later.  This is a substantial structure of 3 bays, with a central hall, a heated parlour at the east end, still having its fine stone fireplace, and a major reception room in the western bay.  Each room has a large timber spine beam, without chamfers, suggesting they may have been ceiled. 

The central hall has a scratch panelled door, and another such door, this time with a characteristically decorated 17th century top panel (right), opens to the west end bedroom on the first floor.  Neither seems to be in its original position.

This contrasts with the parlour fireplace (right)
which has the same mouldings but the triangular
spandrels are raised, - an unusual variation. 

The drawings below of the two fireplaces are to scale.

Hollow chamfered mullioned windows survive on the rear elevation, and at both ends of the building, but were replaced on the front leaving only the label mouldings, which have, with the rest of this elevation, been coated with an unsympathetic textured rendering. 

The central hall probably contained the staircase, but this has been replaced.

On the first floor, the east end chamber has a very unusual fireplace (drawing) in a cream/white limestone. The jambs have been articulated as attached chamfered columns, with bases and moulded capitals with necking rings – wholly medieval in concept.  Sadly, the face of the fireplace has been dressed back to a uniform flatness against which a later applied fireplace surround was at one time fixed.  The mouldings thus survive only on the inner reveals.  Also, the neck ring has been cut each side, presumably for a shelf unless it was the fixings for the applied front. 

This fireplace is clearly significantly earlier than the building, and leads to a speculation that it may have been in the demolished end of the earlier house, and was of such a quality that it was transferred to the new front building in c.1630-50 when it was built. It may of course have come from further afield, as indicated by the stone.

The roof of this front building is of routine 17th century construction consisting of a collar and principal rafters with two tiers of purlins tenoned to each truss (drawn on the right).