Church Lane (East Wall)The east wall faces onto Church Lane. Out of all the walls, this one maintains the largest degree of the original characteristics and charm. This includes a bowing of the wall where the timber frame has moved over time.
The wall contains an original doorway into the house. When we purchased the house this door was sealed and bricked up on the inside. We removed the bricks and found the original key in the letterbox. This door now opens, although it is unlikely that we will ever make extensive use of it.
This wall also contains old lead casement windows which really add to the appearance of the house. The downstairs windows also have wooden shutters which can be closed across them.
When we moved into the house, this wall had a major damp problem. This was caused by the level of Church Lane increasing over the years and the water runoff from the road entering the walls. We have now gained permission for and installed french drains along this wall to direct the water into the drains and to allow the base of the wall to breathe.
While digging the french drain we found a number of cobble stones, indicating that under the modern tarmac is the old cobbled road surface. We have saved the cobbles and intend to construct a small cobble path in the garden. |
