64 RODD, NASH, AND LITTLE
BRAMPTON (B.c.)
(O.S. 6 in. (a)X, N.E., (b)X, S.E.)
Rodd, Nash, and Little Brampton is a parish on the
W. border of the county 3 m. N. of Kington. Rodd
Court, Upper Nash Farm and Little Brampton are the
principal monuments.
Secular
a(1). Rodd Court (Plate 163), house and outbuildings,
in the N. part of the parish. The House is of two storeys
with cellars and attics; the walls are partly of stone
and partly of red brick, and the roofs are covered with
stone slates. It was built c. 1629 and is of L-shaped
plan with the wings extending towards the N.E. and
S.E. The house was restored in 1913.
Rodd Court
The house is a complete example of its period, and
contains interesting internal fittings.
The N.E. front of the S.E. wing (Plate 164) is of brick
with a stone plinth and some stone dressings. The
gabled porch is of three storeys and retains one old
moulded barge-board. The entrance archway is round-headed, and above it is a window of four transomed
lights with moulded frame and mullions; the head is
cut with a double series of dentils; the gable has a
three-light window of similar character. Flanking the
porch are five-light transomed windows, and there are
original gabled dormers in the roof, one of which has
old moulded barge-boards. The entrance-doorway in
the porch has a moulded oak frame with the date 1629
carved on the lintel; the nail-studded door is of eight
moulded panels. The other fronts have windows
similar to those already described, some of them partly
restored. The return of the N.E. wing is brick-faced,
but the other fronts are of stone; the S.W. side has
been largely re-built. The N.E. gable has old moulded
barge-boards. Two of the chimney-stacks retain their
old brick shafts set diagonally.
Interior—The Library, in the N.E. wing, is lined
with original panelling, finished with a small cornice;
the fireplace (Plate 165) has some herring-bone brickwork at the back; it is flanked by coupled Ionic pilasters
supporting the overmantel, which has an enriched
frieze below the shelf and three bays above divided
by panelled pilasters and flanked by coupled Ionic
pilasters; the side bays are arcaded, but the middle bay
has a cartouche of the arms of Rodd impaling Kirkham,
for Richard Rodd (died 1673) and Barbara (Kirkham)
his wife. In the adjoining corridor are some original
doorways with moulded frames and battened doors
with mouldings planted on. The room next to the
library is lined with original panelling; the fireplace
has stone jambs and an oak lintel with a moulded
cornice and shelf above. The room to the S.W. has
original panelling on two walls. The Dining-room
has a ceiling of three bays with a moulded panel in the
middle bay; the walls are lined with original panelling
and there are two original moulded door-frames and
doors. The Hall has a doorway with an original
moulded frame and a panelled door with strap-hinges;
the fireplace has stone jambs and an oak lintel. The
inner porch is formed by a panelled partition and has a
moulded door. The ceiling-beams, generally, are plain.
On the first floor, the Drawing-room at the end of the
N.E. wing, is lined with original panelling and finished
with a plaster entablature enriched with wyverns in
pairs; the ceiling (Plates 72, 162) is divided into two bays
by a moulded and enriched plastered beam; the bays have
enriched bands forming angular panels and having fleur-de-lis at some of the points; the N.E. bay of the ceiling
is a restoration; the fireplace (Plate 165) is flanked by
pilasters with standing figures of men in the costume of
Charles I; the overmantel is of two enriched arcaded
bays divided and flanked by columns with vine-enrichment, supporting an entablature; in the arched bays
are figures of Adam and Eve, the serpent being carved
on the central column; the door to the corridor has
ornamental strap-hinges. Other rooms on this floor
have exposed framing and ceiling-beams, original
fireplaces and some original door-frames and doors.
The staircase (Plate 73) is original and has flat shaped
balusters, plain strings and square newels, some with
acorn terminals.
The Barn, E. of the house, is of the 17th century and
of five bays, timber-framed and weather-boarded.
On the opposite side of the yard are some two-storeyed
cattle-sheds and stables, also timber-framed, and of the
same period, but altered at a later date.
Condition—Good.
a(2). Cottage (Plate 30), 40 yards N.W. of (1), is of
two storeys, timber-framed and with a roof of stone
slates. A mediæval crutch-truss is incorporated in the
building, but the structure generally is of late 16th or
17th-century date. The timber-framing is mostly exposed and the upper storey projects at each end of a
small western cross-wing. Some of the ceiling-beams
are exposed and parts of the crutch-truss are to be seen
between the main block and the cross-wing.
Condition—Fairly good.
a(3). Wegnall Mill, 420 yards N. of (1), is of three
storeys, partly of stone and partly timber-framed and
weather-boarded; the roofs are slate-covered. It
dates probably from the 17th century, but has been
much altered.
Condition—Fairly good.
a(4). The Folly, cottage, on the N. edge of the
parish, ½ m. N.W. of (1), is of one storey with attics;
the walls are of stone and the roofs are slate-covered.
The N.E. part of the building is of late 17th or early
18th-century date with later additions to the S.W.
Condition—Fairly good.
a(5). Nash Court, house and barn, at Nash on the
N.W. side of the parish. The House is of two storeys
with cellars; the walls are of stone and the roofs are
slate-covered. The outline of the house is of mediæval
type, but there is nothing in the existing building which
seems to be earlier than late in the 16th or early in the
17th century. There is a 17th-century addition on the
N.W. The main block has cross-wings at the N.E.
and S.W. ends. Inside the building are some exposed
ceiling-beams.
The Barn, on the W. side of the farmyard, is of the
17th century, timber-framed and weather-boarded.
Condition—Good.
a(6). Upper Nash Farm, house, 140 yards S.S.W.
of (5), is of two storeys, timber-framed and with slate-covered roofs. The middle part of the house is of
mediæval origin, the two middle bays, and possibly the
S.W. bay also, being of this date. About the middle of
the 16th century one of the middle bays was heightened,
gabled and roofed across the line of the main building;
the central chimney-stack was inserted in the 16th
century. The house was extended towards the N.E.
in the 17th century, and there is a modern addition
at the S.W. end. On the N.W. front the altered
16th-century bay has a projecting gable with brackets
at either end supported on small twisted shafts on the
wall-posts; the first floor also projects on a moulded
and enriched bressummer; the side posts have enriched
and shaped pendants and brackets; below the northern
bracket is an attached shaft and capital. The timber-framing is exposed on most of the S.E. front; in it
is an early 17th-century doorway with a moulded frame
and above it is a gable of the same date. Inside the
building are some exposed ceiling-beams; the S.E.
room in the central cross-wing has moulded plaster
panels on the ceiling; the other room in the wing has an
early 17th-century overmantel (Plate 51) of six enriched
arcaded bays, divided and flanked by terminal figures
and with an arabesque frieze above; both rooms are
lined with early 17th-century panelling. On the first
floor, a bedroom has an early 17th-century overmantel
(Plate 51) of four bays similar to those described above
but with an enriched and bracketed frieze. Parts of
two mediæval crutch-trusses are visible in the middle
section of the building.
Condition—Fairly good.
a(7) Cottage, 100 yards E. of (5), is of one storey
with attics; the walls are timber-framed and the roofs
covered with stone slates. It was built in the 17th
century with a cross-wing at the N.E. end. Much of
the timber-framing and some ceiling-beams are exposed.
Condition—Fairly good.
a(8). Smithy, 30 yards N.E. of (7), is of two storeys,
timber-framed and roofed with stone slates. It was
built in the 17th century, but the S.W. end has been
re-built in stone. Some of the timber-framing is
exposed.
Condition—Good.
b(9). Little Brampton, house and outbuilding, on
the W. side of the parish. The House is of two storeys,
timber-framed and roofed with stone slates. It was
built about the middle of the 16th century with a two-storeyed Hall-block and cross-wings at the N.E. and
S.W. ends. Early in the 17th century the staircase-wing was added on the N.W. side and a small addition
made on the S.E. side. Late in the 17th century the
house was extended towards the S.W.; this wing, like
the staircase-wing, has stone walls. The N.W. front
(Plate 25) is original in its N.E. part; the cross-wing has
a projecting upper storey and gable; the upper storey
has a bressummer carved with conventional scrolled
foliage, supported by curved brackets with shaped
posts below them; the projecting gable rests on shaped
brackets springing from shafts attached to the wall-posts. The upper storey of the central block also
projects on curved brackets, one retaining remains of
the shaft on the wall-post below it; the upper storey
also has shafted wall-posts. The S.E. front (Plate 25)
is similar to but simpler than the N.W. front; the end of
the S.W. cross-wing has a projecting upper storey and
gable, but with a plain bressummer and remains of shafts
below it; the projecting gable rests on curved brackets
also with remains of shafts on the wall-posts below;
the treatment of the main block is similar to that on the
N.W. front. The 17th-century porch has a projecting
upper storey with a moulded bressummer. Inside the
building the ceiling-beams and some of the timber-construction are exposed. There is some early 17th-century panelling, and a room on the first floor is
lined with late 17th-century bolection-moulded
panelling. The early 17th-century main staircase has
flat shaped balusters and square moulded newels with
shaped tops.
The Outbuilding, adjoining and extending N.W. from
the S.W. end of the house, is partly of brick and partly
of stone. On the N.W. side is a stone panel inscribed,
"Johan~e Robinson hanc structurā edificavit Anō.
Dom~. 1687." There are also two 17th-century timber-framed barns.
Condition—Good.
b(10). Cottage, 120 yards N. of (9), is of one storey
with attics; the walls are mainly timber-framed and
the roofs are covered with stone slates. It was built
in the 17th century, and has some exposed ceiling-beams.
There is a timber-framed barn of the same period S.W.
of the cottage.
Condition—Good.
b(11). Cottage, 120 yards S.S.W. of (9), is of one
storey with attics; the walls are of stone and the roofs
are tiled. It was built late in the 17th or early in the
18th century, and has some exposed ceiling-beams.
Condition—Good.
a(12). Ashley, house and barn, on the E. edge of the
parish. The House is of two storeys with cellars and
attics; the walls are partly timber-framed and partly
of stone, and the roofs are slate-covered. It is of T-shaped plan with the cross-wing at the E. end; the
cross-wing was built early in the 17th century, and the
main block seems to have been added or re-built about
the middle of the century when the cross-wing also
was altered. There are various modern additions.
The upper storey formerly projected at the N. end of
the cross-wing but has been under-built; it has an
original moulded bressummer and there is a moulded
beam at the base of the projecting gable. Some of
the framing is exposed on the E. front, and in the S.
gable of the cross-wing is a panel inscribed 1652, I.A.,
E.A., probably the date of some alteration. Inside
the building are some exposed ceiling-beams.
The Barn, W. of the house, is of the 17th century,
timber-framed, and of five bays.
Condition—Good.
Unclassified
b(13). Scutch Ditch, earthwork on the E. of
Scutchditch Wood, near the S. edge of the parish,
consists of a steep-scarped bank, a ditch to the S. and a
very slight bank on the counter-scarp. It extends for
about 200 yards in a direction E.N.E. of the angle of
the wood. There seems no reason to connect it with
Offa's Dyke.
Condition—Bad, ditch almost obliterated.