Shenley Brook End

190. SHENLEY BROOK END.

(O.S. 6 in. xiv. N.E.)

Roman

(1). Dwelling House, on Dovecote Farm, ¾ mile S.W. of St. Mary's Church, Shenley Church End. Part of a tessellated pavement, bricks and other indications of a house were found on the farm in January, 1901, but the exact site is not recorded or known.

Condition—No structural remains above ground.

Secular

(2). Westbury Farm, stands in the middle of fields, ¾ mile S.W. of St. Mary's Church, Shenley Church End. The house is of two storeys and a cellar. The plan is L-shaped, the wings projecting towards the S. and E., with a small wing of one storey projecting towards the N. near the E. end of the E. wing. The S.E. part of the S. wing is of late 16th or early 17th-century date, but the rest of the house was built almost entirely c. 1670, the date appearing on one wall. The E. wall of the S. wing is timber-framed with brick filling; the other walls are of 17th-century brick; the roofs are tiled, except that of the N. wing which is covered with slate. On the S. front there is a moulded string-course between the storeys, and the eaves are of moulded brick; a small stone panel bears the date 1670. At the E. end of the E. wing there is a similar string-course and the eavesmoulding is carried across the foot of the gable. The chimney stack over the older part of the house has two square shafts, set diagonally on a rectangular base with a moulded top; the central chimney stack of the main block has a large square base of late 17th-century brick with four modern shafts set diagonally.

Interior:—On the ground floor are two wide fireplaces, one partly blocked, and both with wooden lintels. The ceilings have exposed beams, and the cellar door is of battens with a moulded frame planted on. On the first floor, one fireplace, now blocked, has stop-chamfered jambs and a plastered three-centred arch; another has a late 17th or early 18th-century overmantel with cupboards, covering the brick chimney: another has a moulded mantelpiece with dentils. Many of the rooms have old beams and floor-boards.

Condition—Fairly good; the roof leaks in one place.

Monuments (3–15)

These buildings are all of two storeys or of one storey and an attic. They are of 17th-century origin, and all except (3) retain much of the original timber-framing; the filling generally is of modern brick, and the roofs are thatched. Nearly all the buildings have 17th-century chimney stacks.

Main street, N. side

(3). House, ³/8 mile W.S.W. of the road to Bletchley. The walls are modern. The central chimney stack is of 17th-century brick, restored.

Condition—Good.

(4). Cottage, now two tenements, 100 yards E.N.E. of (3). The walls retain some old plaster filling. A barn near the cottage is also of the 17th century, and has timber-framed walls, partly with old brick filling, partly weather-boarded.

Condition—Fairly good.

(5). Cottage, 50 yards S.E. of (4), partly disused. The walls have old plaster filling.

Condition—Poor.

S. side

(6). Cottage, opposite to (4). The wall at one end is weather-boarded. The central chimney stack is original, but restored at the top.

Condition—Good.

(7). Cottage, 100 yards E. of (6). Half the building is used as a storehouse; of the other half only the foundations remain.

Condition—Poor.

(8). Cottages, E. of the road to Tattenhoe, form a rectangular block with a projecting wing at the back, and a small projection at the N. end.

Condition—Fairly good.

(9–10). Cottages, two, E. of (8). Of each building only part remains, attached to a modern tenement, and much restored with modern brick.

Condition—Fairly good.

(11). Cottages, 100 yards E. of (10), form an L-shaped block, the wings extending towards the N. and W. Some old plaster filling remains in the walls.

Condition—Fairly good.

(12). Cottages, 100 yards N. of (11), on the E. side of the road to Shenley Church End, form an L-shaped block, the wings extending towards the S. and E. The walls have some old plaster filling.

Condition—Poor.

(13–14). Cottages, two, on a footpath, ¾ mile S. of St. Mary's Church, Shenley Church End. The filling of the walls is partly of old plaster.

Condition—Fairly good.

(15). House, on the E. side of the road, leading to Watling Street, nearly ½ mile S.E. of St. Mary's Church, Shenley Church End. The front is covered with cement. A barn near the house is also of the 17th century, and is timber-framed with brick filling.

Condition—Good.