LAMBERHURST 1355/8/219 SCHOOL HILL 30-NOV-71 (West side) 1 AND 2 Holly House and Ricarde's Toft II House, now house pair. Possible mid C14 origin to northern part but externally the building appears C16 altered and extended to the rear in early C18, reconditioned late C20. Timber framed and clad with red brick on ground floor and tile hanging on first floor with red brick in English bond and weather boarding to left return and exposed framing with plaster infill to right return. Plain tiled roof. Four framed bays, northern part thought to incorporate the parlour end of a hall house but adapted to lobby entry plan. Two storeys and basement to left with half-hipped roof and stack to centre left. C20 fenestration of 4 wooden casements on first floor and 2 on ground floor with oriel to centre right and rib and stud door to centre left with sidelight. Garage doors to basement at left. Right return with exposed tension braced frame and jetty with some blocked mullioned windows and later studding in hip end. Main elevation reclad late C20, the old provisional list describes an C18 rendered and sashed facade, the only remnant of which is the panelled door with flat hood on brackets in the right return elevation. C18 two storey timberframed and weatherboarded wing to rear with half-hipped roof. INTERIOR: Ricarde's Toft not inspected internally. Holly House has a late C16 open fireplace with moulded bressumer and sandstone surround. Much of the visible frame appears to have been erected in the C18 reusing some earlier timbers including timbers with sockets for diamond mullions and tops of wall frames. The front wall appears to be C18. Roof structure replaced in C18. C18 winder staircase and plank door. Sandstone cellar with four niches. HISTORY: The adjoining property, The Charity was built c1370 and as the northern end of Ricarde's Toft is jettied and is unlikely to have been built so near to the adjoining property it is thought that it may predate the Charity. The Ricarde family lived on this site from 1434. From the 1450s an ale and cider house was run on this site. A property on this site is described in the 1568 "Survey of Lamberhurst Manor".In the C18 this building was an ale and cider house. By 1851 the northern part was a grocers shop. [Unpublished report "A brief History of Ricarde's Toft, Lamberhurst" by John H Moon 1993.] Listing NGR: TQ6765036367