A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



FURNEUX PELHAM 



Pelham or Pellam, Furnell, Fumeus, Furnaus, 

 Forneus, Fourneaus (xiii and xiv cent.). 



The parish of Furneux Pelham has an area of 

 2,585 acres, of which 7 are water. Rather less than 

 half the parish is arable and about one-fifth per- 

 manent grass.' The altitude varies from 300 ft. to 

 400 ft., the highest ground being at the northern 

 end of the parish. The soil is mixed, the subsoil 

 clay and chalk. 



The village surrounds the church and has at one 

 end Furneux Pelham Hall, the manor-house. This 

 was probably built by Edward twelfth Lord Morley 

 late in the 1 6th century, and is almost entirely of 

 brick, the only part timber-framed and plastered 

 being the north gable of the weit wing ; the roofs 

 are tiled. The building is L-shaped on plan, the 

 main block facing south and having a wing at its 

 western end projecting northwards. During the 



story, the marks of which still remain on the front , 

 they were altered in the 1 7th century, and have all 

 square moulded labels and modern casements. The 

 windows on the east and west fronts have no labels ; 

 they retain their 17th-century flush window frame*. 

 On the east front are two plain projecting chimney 

 stacks ; the tops have been rebuilt, but the bases of 

 octagonal shafts are left. Between the chimney stacks 

 was a gable with a large circular opening or panel in 

 the centre, but the upper part is gone ; the chimneys 

 and gable were part of the 1 7th-century alterations. 

 The east side of the west wing has two small crow- 

 stepped gables and between them is a semicircular 

 gable of 17th-century date. The plan of the house 

 appears to have undergone considerable alterations 

 late in the 1 7th century. The entrance hall or 

 corridor, which is 1 2 ft. wide and has an old wall on 

 each side, was carried through to the back, where it 



MORNING^DlNiNG 

 OR 



1 Hall 



ao 30 40 jp 



Pl\n of FfRNEUx Pelham Hall 



latter part of the 17th century, probably after it 

 was purchased by Felix Calvert in 1677, it under- 

 went considerable alterations and was partly refaced ; 

 in the 19th century additions were made north and 

 east of the west wing. The house is of two stories 

 with attics, and beneath the drawing room at the 

 south-east angle is a small cellar. The south and 

 west fronts have each three curvilinear gables added 

 in the 17th century ; the original gables were crow- 

 stepped, traces of which can be seen. The gables on 

 the north side of the main block and on the east side 

 of the wing still retain their steppings. The attic 

 windows in the gables are original ; one of those on 

 the north side has three round-arched lights. They 

 have all square moulded labels over ; those on the 

 east front retain their original oak moulded frames 

 and mullions, the others being modern. The main 

 entrance is in the middle of the south front ; it is of 

 late 17th-century date with wooden pilasters and flat 

 hood above. The windows of the ground and first 

 story of the south front are arranged in pairs, except 

 in the central gable, which has only one, but originally 

 there was only one wide mullioned window to each 

 ^ Statistics from Bd, of Agric. (1905), 



communicates with the west wing ; the principral 

 stair occupies the central portion. To the east is the 

 drawing room ; it was originally two rooms, but the 

 division wall has been removed and the door from 

 the north room to the corridor blocked. The stair 

 is of late 17th-century date. Its plan is peculiar. It 

 is placed between the two doors of the rooms con- 

 verted into the drawing room ; the first six steps 

 lead to a square landing, where the stair turns to the 

 left, but across the landing are six steps down to 

 the former level at the blocked doorway to the 

 drawing room. The reason for this is not clear, as 

 there is sufficient headroom to pass under the upper 

 landing. The stair has plain moulded balusters. To 

 the west of the corridor is a lounge (until recently 

 the dining room) with a wide modern opening into 

 it. Behind the lounge and separated from it by the 

 substructure of an original chimney stack is the 

 dining room (formerly the kitchen) ; at the east end 

 of the brickwork of the chimney is a small private 

 stair, now disused, opening into the corridor. The 

 kitchen in the west wing has a portion of the original 

 four-centred arch over the fireplace. In an ante-room 

 on the first floor is a stone fireplace with moulded 



100 



