Hill House Farmhouse, Box, Wiltshire, SN13 (Grade II*)

ST 8268 BOX MIDDLEHILL

3/192 Hill House Farmhouse

20 12 60

GV II*

Farmhouse, C16 to C17, rubble stone with stone tiled roofs, coped gables, ridge stack and south end paired diagonal stack. Ridge stack to south-west wing. L-plan, one and a half storeys. Recessed ovolo-moulded mullion windows generally, but arched-headed recessed chamfered lights of early C16 type to ground floor centre. East front has 2 dormer gables, one to left with 4-light window breaking eaves, central king mullion and hoodmould over, one to right with 3-light window above eaves and hoodmould. First floor single light, at eaves. Ground floor from left, blocked single light with hood, 4-light window with king mullion and hoodmould, 2- light window and hoodmould, then two 2-light windows with arched- headed lights, and to right inserted 2-light C20 ovolo-moulded window with hood. At right end, 2 storey extension, Bridgwater tiled with coped north gable, ground floor C20 door and C20 3-light ovolo-moulded window with hoodmould. West front has dormer gable each side with 3-light window and hoodmould and single light upper window to right. Ground floor has one single-light and one 2-light recessed chamfered window, single light with arched head. To right a segmental-pointed chamfered doorway with plank door. North end extension has door. Projecting from right end is south-west wing with ground floor 3-light window and upper 3-light eaves-breaking hipped dormer to north front. One 2-light window with hood to west end. South side has dormer gable with 3-light window and hoodmould over stone-tiled lean-to, originally of 4 open bays with timber posts, now infilled and inner 6-panel door in chamfered surround, casement pair to left. Later Bridgwater tiled outhouses added to south. Interior: originally open-hall house (smoke-blackened timbers) with fine 6-panel inserted ceiling, heavily moulded beams and large infilled stone fireplace. Segmental pointed arched doorway to cross passage with early C17 plank door. South end room has heavy chamfered-and-stopped spine beam and wall beams and large elliptical arched stone south end fireplace. First floor centre room has stone fireplace with carved stone arms over of Snell quartering Keynell, marriage recorded in 1510 but possibly inserted in early C17 when house owned by John Snell.