Building record MLI86812 - Alford Manor House, West Street, Alford

Summary

Alford Manor House, West Street, Alford.

Type and Period (2)

Protected Status/Designation

Full Description

House, now museum and offices. Probably built in the mid 16th century, cased in brick in the 17th century and later altered in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Originally timber frame with mud and stud walls, now red brick, with a thatched roof having raised brick coped gables with kneelers. For the full description and the legal address of this listed building please refer to the appropriate List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. {1}{2}{3} A preliminary programme of building recording and analysis was undertaken on Alford Manor House. This programme was undertaken in preparation for and during the 'opening up' of parts of the building. Various hypotheses have been put forward to explain the development and date of the house. It has been suggested that one wing and the centre range were constructed in the 1540s and that a further wing was subsequently added. Furthermore, it has been described as a timber-framed mud and stud structure which has subsequently been encased in brick in the 1660s. The building survey, however, concluded that the building is largely of one build, of composite timber and brick construction, and dates to the early 17th century. {4} A total of forty-seven core samples were obtained from timbers in a wide range of locations within the Manor House. A single site chronology was produced, consisting of forty-four samples and being 169 rings long. This site chronology was dated as spanning the years AD 1500 to 1668. Interpretation of the sapwood on the samples indicates that all the timbers in the roofs of the three ranges plus almost all the timbers in the first and attic floor-frames of the three ranges were felled in AD 1611. {5} A watching brief was carried out during repairs and renovations in 2005. Various sections of the historic fabric were exposed and recorded including sections of the roof structure and internal elevations. Elements of earlier decorative schemes in the house were also recorded including window shutters, paintwork and wallpaper. A small below ground investigation to the north of the house revealed a 19th century floor surface. {6} A new conservation plan for the house and its gardens and outbuildings has been prepared. {7} Alford Manor House is one of the key structures withini the Alford Conservation Area. {8} A detailed contour survey and geophysical survey of the gardens were carried out (see also PRN 48272). These recorded remains of the 19th century garden which may overlay an older layout. Traces of buildings shown on early maps but now demolished were also identified, as well as remains of structures which may pre-date the current manor house. {9}

Sources/Archives (9)

  •  Index: Department of the Environment. 1986. List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. 5/47 (004.056).
  •  Bibliographic Reference: S.M. Cooke and P.E. Crome. 1988. Alford Town. p.40.
  •  Map: Ordnance Survey. 1902-06. 25 Inch County Series Map - Second Edition. 1:2500. 66/15.
  •  Report: Field Archaeology Specialists. 2003. Archaeological Building Recording, Alford Manor House, Alford. AMH02.
  •  Report: Centre for Archaeology. 2003. Tree-Ring Analysis of Timbers from the Manor House, West Street, Alford. -.
  •  Report: Field Archaeology Specialists. 2006. Alford Manor House: Archaeological Watching Brief. FAS site code: AMH05.
  •  Report: Anderson and Glenn. 2006. Alford Manor House: Conservation Plan. -.
  •  Report: QuBE Planning Ltd.. 2008. Alford Conservation Area Appraisal. Section 6.1.
  •  Report: Field Archaeology Specialists. 2010. Alford Manor House, Alford: Historic Garden Investigation. AMH10.

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Location

Grid reference Centred TF 45370 76048 (30m by 26m) Surveyed
Civil Parish ALFORD, EAST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE

Related Monuments/Buildings (1)

Related Events/Activities (7)

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Record last edited

Aug 8 2023 1:28PM

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