EDWINSTREE HUNDRED 



cottages. It is L-shaped on plan and has all the 

 timbering exposed. The lower story of the north 

 vring IS of brick ; the upper floor on the south front 

 projects. The roofs are thatched and the east and 

 west gables are hipped ; all the chimneys are plain. 



On the south side of the road, nearly opposite the 

 vicarage, is a timber-framed and plastered cottage, 

 with part of the front upper story overhanging ; the 

 roof is tiled. The front has flush panels of plaster 

 filled with combed work ; in one panel is a lozenge 

 pattern with moulded ribs and the date 1724. 



At Hare Street, three-quarters of a mile west of 

 the village, is a cottage, for- 

 merly the Swan Inn, now a 

 private house. It is of timber- 

 framing plastered in front and 

 weather- boarded at the end. 

 The roofs. are tiled and the 

 chimney stacks are plain. At 

 each end of the front the 

 gabled upper story overhangs, 

 and beneath are oriel windows 

 on plastered brackets. It is 

 of early 17th-century date. 

 Hare Street House, a farm at 

 the north end of the hamlet, 

 is probably of early 17th- 

 century date, with an 18th- 

 century brick front. The old 

 walls are timber-framed and 

 plastered. The two chimney 

 stacks have detached octagonal 

 shafts with moulded bases ; 

 the capitals, which appear to 

 have been rebuilt, are of over- 

 sailing courses. The house 

 contains in one room some 

 17th-century panelling with 

 fluted frieze, also a little 

 panelling of later date. 



Hormead Hall, the manor- 

 house of Hormead Redeswell, 

 now a farm-house, stands near 

 the east end of the village. 

 The site is moated, portions 

 of a wet moat remaining on 

 the north, south and east sides. 

 The house is L-shaped on 

 plan ; the walls are timber- 

 framed and plastered and the 

 roofs are tiled. It is probably 

 of late 1 6th or early 17th- 

 century date, but has been 

 altered and modernized and 

 one-story buildings have been 



erected on the north side. The main block runs east 

 and west, and at its western end is the kitchen wing 

 projecting northwards ; the wing has been much 

 modernized. On the roof of the main block is a 

 chimney stack of thin bricks with detached octagonal 

 shafts with moulded capitals and bases ; a projecting 

 stack against the west gable has two similar shafts, 

 but without the moulded bases. The windows are 

 modern. In the east room of the main block is a 



GREAT HORMEAD 



fireplace of stone with moulded four-centred arch. 

 In the carved spandrels are two shields with arms : 

 one bears a cheveron and a label of five points, the 

 other the same arms impaling a cheveron between 

 three water bougets. There is a little early 17th- 

 century panelling in the house. 



Brick House Farm stands in an isolated position 

 about I mile north-east of the village. It is of 

 two stories with attics, and is built of thin 2-in. 

 bricks, with tiled roofs. It was probably built a little 

 before 1579, when Michael Brand granted ' le New 

 Brick House ' to James Grymshawe.^ The plan is 



Hare Street House, Great Hormead 



very unusual and is unique in Hertfordshire. The 

 principal block, which measures externally about 

 z8 ft. 6 in. by 23 ft. 6 in., is divided into two rooms; 

 the south room, probably originally the hall, measures 

 16 ft. 6 in. by 14 ft. 4 in. A modern staircase 

 occupies a part of it, but the original stair was prob- 

 ably formerly in a projecting wing on the west side 

 of the hall and opened directly into it. On the same 

 side is a plain wide fireplace; the kitchen at the north 



' Pat. 21 Eliz. pt. vi ; see also 28 

 Eliz. pt. xiii ; 29 Eliz. pt. xxviii. For 

 the various extravagant legends connected 



with the origin of the Brick House — 

 namely, that it was built hy Alfred the 



6q 



Great or Edgar Atheling — see article by 

 W, B. Geriah in Home Counties Mag, iii. 



