NHER 10710 (Building record) - Thorpe Hall

September 1951. Listed, Grade II.
Listing Description:
Farmhouse dating to the late 16th century and later. The house is construced of brick, with a timber frame and steeply pitched roofs, which are pantiled and plain tiled. The exterior is rendered and colour-washed. The building is two storeys with attics and a cellar under the west range. It is an H plan house, with a taller western cross-wing on a brick plinth with clasping corner pilasters and brick dentil eaves. In the north wall, two cellar lights with bars and a 3-light stair casement with segmental head. Leaded glazing is apparent in the west wall. Two 3-light casements with segmental heads and leaded glazing, one ground floor sash with glazing bars and architrave. The main north-south range is pantiled with two ridge chimney stacks, that to the west, L shaped with linked polygonal shafts. Windows generally casements with leaded lights, mostly 20th century replacements; on the north side, one casement with segmental pointed head, and one 3-light window with ovolo moulded frame and mullions. Central two storey gabled porch, door opening with semi-circular rusticated arch in square headed recess, 3-light first floor casements. Inner door frame chamfered with ogee or wave moulded chamfer stops to jambs. South facade has 3 and 4-light casements, off-centre doorway. Gabled dormer with 3-light casement with glazing bars. Western cross wing has ground floor glazed doors, first floor sash with glazing bars, gabled attic dormer with 3-light casement. Later cross wing to east, probably 18th century, with 20th century fenestration; half dormers in east side. Attached red brick garden wall to south, 18th century, east and west sides swept down to lower south wall.
Interior: 17th century stair in west wing with one turned baluster per tread and moulded string; roll-moulded handrail. Tie beams with stepped run-out chamfer stops; ogee stops on ridging beam at east end of centre range.
Information from (S1).
H. White, (NLA), 29 September 2009

H-shaped house with porch, but originally L-shaped or T-shaped.
Main building late 16th century with fine staircase and chimney. One wing reclad in brick and servants wing added about 1700. Further alterations 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.
See report (S1) in file.
E. Rose (NAU), 21 June 1985.

October 2008.
The house is on the site of a former palace. In 1547 it was given to Sir Thomas Paston and rebuilt. The property became derelict after 1925 but was refurbished by Henry Burke.
See (S2) for further details.
H. White, (NLA), 29 September 2009