Wellington Heath

An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Herefordshire, Volume 2, East. Originally published by His Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1932.

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'Wellington Heath', in An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Herefordshire, Volume 2, East, (London, 1932) pp. 204-205. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/rchme/heref/vol2/pp204-205 [accessed 25 March 2024]

In this section

87 WELLINGTON HEATH (D.d.)

(O.S. 6 in. XXXV, S.E.)

Wellington Heath is a small parish adjoining that of Ledbury on the N. Peg's Farm is the principal monument.

Ecclesiastical

(1). Parish Church of Christ Church is a modern building erected in 1840.

Fittings—Chairs: two, with twisted legs, carved rails, carved and shaped arms, carved framing to backs with twisted uprights and cresting carved with two cherubs holding a crown, late 17th-century.

Secular

(2). Peg's Farm (Plate 29), house and outbuildings, 1,000 yards W.N.W. of the church. The House is of two storeys with cellars; the walls are timber-framed with plaster and brick filling and the roofs are tiled. It was built in the 14th century with a single-storey central hall and cross-wings at the E. and W. ends. Early in the 16th century the hall was divided into two storeys and a chimney-stack inserted next the screens; the W. wing was perhaps extended to the N. about the same time. Early in the 17th century a wing was added to the N. of the E. or solar wing. There are minor modern additions.

The remains of the original roof of the hall are of interest.

The timber-framing is exposed on all fronts, that of the original block having very open framing for its date; the N. part of the W. wing has fairly close-set framing and the 17th-century wing has framing in square panels; the upper storey of this wing projects slightly and has a moulded bressummer. Inside the building the inserted floor of the hall-block has early 16th-century moulded ceiling-beams. The original roof was of three main bays with a narrower bay over the screens; the truss over the screen had two posts or speres carried down to the ground, a cross-beam or collar and two curved braces, all moulded; above the collar are struts forming trefoiled openings and a plain pierced spandrel; beyond the posts the roof is carried down to moulded wall-plates with ties between the walls and the posts; part of the next truss to the E. remains, it had no posts but in place of them, curved braces, forming an arch and springing from the side-walls, support the collar-beam. Other rooms on the ground floor have chamfered ceiling-beams and the room in the 17th-century wing had moulded ceiling-beams of that date.

The Barn, S.E. of the house, is of 17th-century origin largely re-built. It is timber-framed and of three bays. The Cider-mill, N. of the W. wing of the house, is timber-framed and of the 17th century but has been much altered.

Condition—Good.

(3). Callow Croft, house, 500 yards S.W. of the church, is of two storeys with attics; the walls are partly of stone and partly timber-framed; the roofs are covered with tiles and stone slates. The W. part of the house was built late in the 16th century and the E. part appears to have been added probably early in the 17th century. The square timber-framing is exposed on all the fronts. The doorway on the E. is flanked by two moulded posts with shaped brackets supporting a small pent roof; the battened door has two old strap-hinges. Some of the gables have old moulded barge-boards. Inside the building several rooms have moulded ceiling-beams and the W. block has wall-posts with moulded heads. The early 18th-century staircase has twisted balusters, square newels with moulded caps and moulded strings.

Condition—Good.

(4). Burton's Farm (Plate 24), house and barn, nearly ¾ m. S.W. of the church. The House is of two storeys, timber-framed and partly re-faced with brick; the roofs are tiled. The main part of the house, with crosswings at the S.W. and N.E. ends, appears to be of mediæval date. The hall was divided into two storeys, probably in the 16th century, and the N.E. cross-wing was perhaps extended towards the N.W. at the same time. The N.W. wing was added early in the 17th century. There are 18th-century and modern alterations, including the facing of the S.E. front in brick. Except on this front the timber-framing is largely exposed, being close-set in the N.E. cross-wing and square framing in the 17th-century wing. The upper storey of this wing projects on the N.W. front on a moulded bressummer and shaped corbel-heads on the lower posts; there are three 17th-century windows with mullions and transoms and moulded sills; one of these is now blocked; the central chimney-stack has four diagonal shafts. Inside the building some of the rooms have exposed ceiling-beams.

The Barn, N.W. of the house, is timber-framed and of four bays. It retains parts of three mediæval crutchtrusses.

Condition—Fairly good.

Monuments (5–12)

The following monuments, unless otherwise described, are of the 17th century and of two storeys, timber-framed and with tiled roofs. Some of the buildings have exposed ceiling-beams and old chimneystacks.

Condition—Good or fairly good, unless noted.

(5). Cottage, 400 yards S.E. of the church, has a slate roof.

Condition—Poor.

(6). Cottage, on the E. side of the road, 700 yards S. of the church.

(7). Withers Farm, house, ¼ m. W.S.W. of the church, retains one wing of the original building, with a moulded beam at the first-floor level.

(8). Uplands (Plate 20), ½ m. W.S.W. of the church, is of stone, with a hall-block and E. wing.

(9). Cottage, 150 yards S. of (2).

Condition—Poor.

(10). Barns, at Prior's Court Farm, 1,500 yards W.N.W. of the church. The barn on the E. is of eight bays with queen-post and one king-post roof-trusses; it is connected at the N. end with a two-storeyed cattle-shed and a byre of three bays. To the S. is a two-storeyed barn of three bays, with queenpost trusses. Farther W. is a two-storeyed barn of stone, with similar trusses. At the W. end is a stable and cattle-shed of eight bays, partly of stone.

(11). Cottage, on the E. side of the road, 1¼ m. W.N.W. of the church.

(12). Cottage, at road-fork, ½ m. N.W. of the church, has been partly re-built in the 18th century.

Condition—Poor.