Brockhampton by Ross

15 BROCKHAMPTON by Ross (C.e.)

(O.S. 6 in. XLVI, N.E.)

Brockhampton is a parish on the left bank of the Wye, 5 m. N. of Ross. The old church, Fawley Chapel and Fawley Court are the principal monuments.

Ecclesiastical

(1). Parish Church of the Holy Trinity (disused) (Plate 5) stands in the N. part of the parish. The walls are of sandstone rubble with dressings of the same material; the roofs are covered with stone slates. The church, consisting of Chancel and Nave, was built early in the 15th century. The West Tower was added or re-built probably late in the 16th century, and the South Porch is of the same or rather later date.

Architectural Description—The Chancel (15½ ft. by 14 ft.) has a three-light E. window, all modern except the 15th-century splays and rear-arch. The N. and S. walls have each a 16th or 17th-century window of two square-headed lights. There is no chancel-arch.

The Nave (26½ ft. by 14 ft.) has in both the N. and S. walls an early 15th-century window of two cinque-foiled lights with tracery in a two-centred head. The early 15th-century S. doorway has chamfered jambs and a later elliptical arch.

The West Tower (5¾ ft. by 18 ft.) is of two stages and probably of late 16th-century date. The tower-arch is two-centred and of one chamfered order with plain responds. The course below the springing projects to the W. as corbelling and supports an irregular plastered corbelling above. The early 15th-century W. window is of two trefoiled lights with tracery in a two-centred head; the external face appears to be formed of the original splays and rear-arch, set the wrong way out. The upper stage has, in the E., N. and S. walls, a small square-headed window; there is a second similar window in the S. wall. The roof is gabled from E. to W.

The South Porch is of late 16th or early 17th-century date and has an outer archway with a chamfered segmental lintel of timber. In the E. wall is a blocked doorway.

The Roofs of the chancel and nave are ceiled except for the 15th-century moulded ridge-pieces and the chamfered wall-plates. Between the chancel and the nave is a plain tie-beam and king-post.

Fittings—Bells: inaccessible. Churchyard Cross: S. of chancel—square base with pointed niche in W. face and standing on three steps, square shaft with stop-chamfered angles, 14th-century, head missing. Glass: In W. window—in tracery, fragments including head and wings of an angel, 15th-century. Monuments: In churchyard—S.E. of chancel, (1) to Thomas Davis, 1713, head-stone; (2) to Robert Phelpotts, 1701; E. of chancel, (3) to John How, head-stone, late 17th-century; N.E. of chancel, (4) to Mary, daughter of Thomas Barry, head-stone, 1699; S.W. of porch, (5) to William Wilim, 1680–1, head-stone; (6) to Mary, wife of William Willym, 1682–3. Piscina: In chancel—recess with chamfered jambs and segmental head, square projecting drain, 15th-century. Stoup: In nave—E. of S. doorway, recess with plastered elliptical head, and semi-octagonal bowl, 15th-century.

In modern church of All Saints—Chair: with panelled back, fluted top rail, shaped arms and turned front legs, c. 1630. Plate: includes cup of 1637, with baluster stem. Reredos: In S. transept—Flemish triptych with moulded framing and nine carved and painted panels of the Passion; wings painted, internally, with Christ and the Virgin and the Descent from the Cross, and externally with conventional designs and the initials IHS and MARI~, early 16th-century.

Condition—Poor.

(2). Chapel of St. John, Fawley (Plate 8), stands nearly 1½ m. S.S.W. of Holy Trinity church. The walls are of sandstone rubble with dressings of the same material, and a rough ashlar-facing to the S. wall of the nave; the roofs are covered with slates. The Nave was built in the 12th century, but was widened towards the S. and probably lengthened towards the W., perhaps in the 14th century. The chapel appears to have been restored in the 16th or 17th century when a bell-chamber was inserted in the W. end of the nave. The Chancel was re-built in 1827.

Architectural Description—The Chancel is modern except the W. wall which has a 12th-century chancel arch with responds and round arch of one plain order and chamfered imposts; the openings flanking the arch are modern.

The Nave (40½ ft. by 23½ ft.) has, in the N. wall, two windows, the eastern of the 14th century, but with a modern square head; the western window is modern; the blocked N. doorway has chamfered jambs and round arch, of late 12th-century date, with a modern label. In the S. wall are two modern windows; the S. doorway is 18th-century or modern. In the W. wall is a single-light window, with a square head. The timber-framed bell-chamber, under the main roof, is lit by a window, in the W. wall, of two four-centred lights.

The Roof of the nave is of the 14th century and of four bays, with chamfered wall-plates and curved braces under the principals and collar-beams.

Fittings—Bells; inaccessible. Chair: In chancel— with turned legs, curved arms, panelled and carved back and scrolled cresting, c. 1630. Coffin-lid: Re-set in W. wall of nave, with cross in low relief, 13th-century, broken. Font: of tapering tub-form with scalloped top and sloped base, early 12th-century, 17th-century initials I.C. and E.T. cut on rim, modern base. Floor-slabs: In nave—(1) to Richard Cope, sen., 16 . . ., Richard his son and Elizabeth his wife, 1686, also their daughter Elianor, 1668; (2) to Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Bellamy, 1699; (3) to William Bellamy, 1688–9. Screen: In nave—at W. end, one whole and two half bays of screen, open with two-centred heads and traceried spandrels, posts with attached buttresses, 15th-century, base missing.

Condition—Good.

Secular

(3). Fawley Court, house and barns, over 1½ m. S.W. of Holy Trinity church. The House is of two storeys with cellars and attics; the walls are partly of stone with some ashlar-facing and partly of plastered timber-framing; the roofs are tiled. The southern of the two adjoining wings on the E. side of the house is of early 16th-century date; the northern was added later in the same century. The rest of the house was re-built c. 1630–40. The kitchen-wing has been replaced by a modern building at the S. end of the house. The W. Front (Plate 20) is ashlar-faced with a porch and two bay-windows. The porch has a two-centred outer archway with a moulded label and imposts; the side-walls have each a window of two elliptical-headed lights in a square head with a moulded label. The windows on the main front are of similar character, those of the ground-floor having transoms and four lights, and those above three or two lights. The bay-windows are of semi-octagonal form with embattled parapets and single-light windows in the canted and returned sides. The two projecting bays on the E. front (Plate 25) are of rubble and exposed timber-framing above, of slightly different character in the two bays. Inside the building, the main entrance, in the porch, has a round head with chamfered imposts; the porch has a door with a round-headed wicket, large strap-hinges and a scutcheon-plate (Plate 66) with the initials I.K. (John Kyrle) and the date 1635. The hall has a wide stone fireplace with moulded jambs and four-centred arch; the walls have a dado of mid and late 17th-century panelling; and the ceiling has stop-chamfered beams. The adjoining room on the N. is lined with mid 17th-century panelling, with a modern cornice; the fireplace has moulded jambs and four-centred arch in a square head with roses in the spandrels; the carved overmantel (Plate 65) is of two arched bays, with terminal figures and scrolled enrichments. In the windows is some old glass including a 17th-century shield of Kyrle impaling Scudamore, and fragments. The main staircase, 1630– 40, has turned balusters, moulded strings and square newels with ball-terminals. The S.E. staircase has shaped splat-balusters.

The Barn, W. of the house, is of late 17th-century date, timber-framed and plastered, with a S. porch. The barn, E. of the house, is probably of 16th-century origin, re-built in the 17th century. It is timber-framed and plastered and has one early truss with king and queen-posts.

Condition—Good.

(4). Much Fawley, house and barn, S.E. of Fawley Chapel. The House is of two storeys with cellars and attics; the walls are of rubble and the roofs are covered with slates. The house incorporates remains of a 14th-century building, and the S. cross-wing may be, substantially, of this date. The middle part of the house retains its mediæval crutch-trusses and the northern part is probably of the 15th century. There is an addition of c. 1600 between the cross-wing and the main block, and some modern additions. A mediæval buttress remains at the E. end of the S. front, and the addition of c. 1600 has two blocked windows of that date. Behind it is an early chimney-stack, carried on shaped corbels. There is some exposed timber-framing on the E. side. Inside the building, the N. wall of the cross-wing contains two 14th-century stone doorways, one with a shouldered head and the other with a segmental-pointed rear-arch. Two early crutch-trusses remain in the middle part of the house with later timbering inserted in them. Several rooms have exposed ceiling-beams and timber-framing, and the N. wing has a 15th-century cambered tie-beam with curved braces and wind-braces.

The Barn, S.W. of the house, is of rubble with a N. porch. It was built in the 17th century and has two ranges of loops.

Condition—Good, much altered.

(5). Seabourne's Farm, house, E. of Fawley Chapel, is of two storeys with cellars. The walls are of rubble and timber-framing and the roofs are covered with slates. The middle part of the house was built in the 16th century, and the W. end and the corridor on the N. side added in the 17th century. There is a modern extension on the E. Inside the building some of the timber-framing and ceiling-beams are exposed; there is also a six-light window with diamond-shaped mullions.

Condition—Good, much altered.

(6). Cottage, at Brinkley Hill, on the E. side of the road, ¾ m. W.S.W. of Holy Trinity church, is of two storeys, timber-framed with brick filling; the roofs are tiled. It was built late in the 17th century, and has exposed timber-framing.

Condition—Good.

(7). Cottage, S.W. of (6), is of two storeys, timber-framed with brick filling; the roofs are tiled. It was built late in the 17th century and has exposed timber-framing and ceiling-beams.

Condition—Good.

Unclassified

(8). Earthwork, on the S.E. side of the road, 600 yards N. of (3), has been much ploughed down. It is shown as of roughly oval form on the O.S., but all that can now be seen is a slight sinking of indeterminate shape. The ground slopes away on all sides.

Condition—Bad.