3. ASHLEY GREEN.
(O.S. 6 in. (a)xxxix. N.W. (b)xxxix. N.E.)
Pre-historic
(fn. 1) b (1). Plateau Camp, S. of Whelpley Hill and
1½ miles S.E. by E. of the modern church, is
on level ground nearly 530 ft. above O.D., and
covers about 4½ acres. The work is roughly
circular in shape, and the defences consist of
a single rampart and ditch, the ditch being
62 ft. wide and 3 ft. deep. There is a slight
gap in the rampart to the S.E., possibly the
original entrance.
Condition—Much denuded, and in danger of
complete obliteration by the plough.
Secular
a(2). Barn and Moated Site with Ramparts
at Grove Farm, nearly 1 mile S.E. of the modern
church, are probably of the 15th century; a
wall and the bases of two towers or gatehouses also remain. The Barn (see Plate, p. xxx.)
is said to have been originally the chapel, but
there is little evidence to support this theory;
it is of flint, with original stone dressings, and
brick dressings of later date. Early in the 17th
century the walls were heightened; the floor
inserted at that date has been removed. The
roofs are tiled. The plan is L-shaped, with
the inner angle facing N.; the wing projecting
towards the N.E. is small, and the walls are
lower than those of the main block.
The structure is of especial interest as the
remains of a mediæval domestic building,
strongly defended by a curtain wall and double
moat.
S.E. Elevation—The wall of the main block
is of flint, except the 17th-century gable, which
is timber-framed with plaster filling, and
much restored; the lower part of the wall has
stone dressings, those of the upper part are of
brick. There are two windows in the main
block; the lower window is of the 15th century,
and of two lights under a square head, with
chamfered jambs and lintel, all of stone; it is
rebated inside for shutters; the upper window
has a modern wood frame, probably a restoration of 17th-century work. The small wing is
of flint, with quoins of stone; at the S. end is
a 15th-century doorway, of stone, with chamfered jambs and two-centred drop arch; E. of
the doorway is a small window altered for a
17th-century wood frame. N.E. Elevation—
The wall is of flint, the lower quoins are of
15th-century clunch, and the upper quoins
of 17th-century brick; near the W. end is a
15th-century blocked doorway with chamfered
jambs and two-centred head, of stone; the
rear lintel is outside; further E. is a single-light window, also blocked; a large central
doorway with brick jambs is probably of the
18th century. The gable at the end of the small
wing is weather-boarded. N.W. Elevation—
The end of the main block resembles the
S.E. end, but both the windows have wood
frames, and are blocked. The S.W. Elevation
has modern additions of timber, with doors in
the middle; at each end is a blocked window,
that at the E. end having stone jambs and an
oak lintel. Interior:—The main block now
forms one chamber, open to the roof; the
level of the former upper floor is marked by
a set-back in the walls, and the end of a
floor-beam remains in the S.W. wall. A 15th-century doorway, formerly opening into the
small wing, is now blocked; it has chamfered
jambs and two-centred head of stone, with an
oak lintel visible inside the wing; an oak doorway over it is probably of later date, and is
now blocked; part of the outline is visible in
the wall outside, above the roof of the wing.
The roof of the main block is in three bays
with plain ties, struts and curved wind-braces;
it is probably the original roof, raised to its
present height in the 17th century.
Almost opposite the barn, on the E. side, are
the bases of two polygonal towers or gatehouses, and the remains of a curtain wall
running N. and S.
The site of the mediæval dwelling is surrounded by a Moat with ramparts. It is an
excellent example of a strongly defended enclosure of its class, and is remarkable for the
size of the ramparts and ditches.
The moat, about 520 ft. above O.D., has,
at some points, both an inner and an outer
rampart; parts still contain water, and the
outer bank is thickly planted. On the N. side
the ditch is 12½ ft. deep and 73 ft. wide, and
the outer rampart is 5½ ft. above the exterior
level. The position of the original entrance to
the outer enclosure is doubtful. The N.W. part
of the site, in which are the remains of the
mediæval building, is divided from the main
enclosure by an inner moat.
Ashley Green, Homestead Moat at Grove Farm.
Condition—Of structure, fairly good, but the
walls are cracking, and the building suffers
from its present use as a barn. Of earthworks,
good.
b(3). Sale's Farm, now three cottages,
about 1 mile E.S.E. of the modern church, is a
two-storeyed house, built late in the 17th century; the walls are of brick with a little timber,
much restored; the roofs are tiled. One
chimney stack is original. Some of the rooms
have old ceiling-beams and oak floor-boards;
one room has a wide fireplace, and on the first
floor is a roof-truss supported by curved
brackets. One cottage has winding stairs of old
oak.
Condition—Rather poor.
a(4). Oak Farm, 400 yards N.W. of the modern
church, is of two storeys and an attic, built
partly of timber and brick, and partly of flint
and brick, early in the 17th century, but much
restored, the S. end being entirely re-built. The
roofs are tiled. The plan is L-shaped, with the
longer wing projecting towards the N., and the
shorter wing towards the E. On the E. front
the longer wing is of modern flint and brick;
the shorter wing is covered with rough-cast,
which has broken away in places, showing the
lower part of the wall to be of old flint and
brick; the upper storey projects and is gabled.
At the back the lower storey is almost entirely
covered with cement, but the upper part is of
late 17th-century brick with a little timber. On
the S. side of the shorter wing is a large original
chimney stack of flint and brick, with three
hexagonal shafts; the tops of the shafts and of
the rectangular base have ovolo mouldings of
brick. Inside the house several rooms have old
ceiling-beams, and there are five original doors
of moulded battens. The kitchen has a large
open fireplace, and the room above it has a
stone fireplace with splayed jambs and a four-centred head, of one square moulded order,
with plain spandrels and a pediment over it.
At the foot of the staircase is a small piece of
early 17th-century panelling. The staircase
has an old central newel, and the short balustrade at the top is original. The winding stairs
from the first floor to the attic, also original,
are of plain oak.
Condition—Fairly good.
a (5). Hog Lane Farm, about 1 mile N.W.
of the church, is a house of two storeys and an
attic. The walls are of brick; the roofs are
tiled. It was built apparently early in the
17th century on a rectangular plan, facing W.,
and with a central chimney stack; in the 19th
century a large wing was added on the N.E.,
making the plan L-shaped, and the original
walls were re-faced. The present front faces
N., and is of modern brick, but there is a
straight joint between the old part of the
house, which is gabled, and the new wing; in
the gable is a window with an old oak frame,
and some of the original glass in rectangular
leaded quarries. The central chimney stack is
of old thin bricks. One room has a stop-chamfered beam in the ceiling and a large open fireplace with chimney-corner seats, a small recess
for the tinder box, and, under the mantel, a
cupboard.
Condition—Good.
a(6). Nashleigh Farm, about a mile S.S.W.
of the church, is a house of two storeys and an
attic, built probably late in the 16th or early
in the 17th century. The walls are covered
with plaster; the roof is tiled. The plan is
rectangular, with two modern additions at the
back. There are four gables on the W. front
and four at the back; a gable at the N. end projects and has an old bressumer, moulded and
embattled. At the S. end is a small blocked
window of two chamfered orders, apparently
of stone. A chimney stack at the back, and
another at the N. end, are of old thin bricks.
Some of the rooms have stop-chamfered beams
in the ceilings and two large fireplaces with
chimney-corner seats remain, one with a cambered lintel. One door is of mid 17th-century
panelling and a staircase is of old oak.
Condition—Fairly good.
Whelpley Hill
b(7). Cottage, about 1½ miles E.S.E. of the
church, on the N. side of the road, is of two
storeys, built of timber and brick probably in
the 17th century, re-fronted at the end of the
same century; a wing was added on the E. side
in the 18th century. The roofs are tiled. The
W. half of the S. front is of red brick, with
black headers in diaper pattern; at the level of
the first floor is a plain string-course; the E.
half is of 18th-century brick on flint foundations. The W. end is of brick, with plastered
timber-framing in the gable. The W. room on
the ground floor has a large open fireplace with
chimney-corner seats and an old oven; the
room over it has an open timber roof with
chamfered beams. At the back is an old staircase of oak.
Condition—Fairly good.
b(8). Berries Farm (or Whelpley Hill
Farm), 1½ miles E.S.E. of the church, is a two-storeyed house, built of timber and brick; the
roofs are tiled, except that of the modern W.
wing, which is covered with slate. The house
was built in the 16th century on an L-shaped
plan, with the wings extending towards the N.
and W.; modern additions have been made at the
W. end and S.E. corner, and the original building has been restored. The longer wing is partly
of modern brick, partly covered with cement,
and has an original square chimney stack with
four shafts set diagonally. The N. wing has, in
the N. and W. walls, closely-set vertical timber-framing, but the brick filling is modern; the
chimney is apparently of late 17th-century
date. Inside the house is a wide open fireplace,
now partly blocked.
Condition—Fairly good.