HORSMONDEN SPELMONDEN ROAD TQ 73 NW 4/108 Spelmonden with walls attached 20.10.54 GV II* House. C15 or earlier in at least two phases, altered C17 - C19. Timber framed and tile hung on sandstone ground floor, part repaired with red brick, with plain tiled roof. Hall house, possibly an early Wealden plan, re-clad and extended with rebuilt cross wing. Two storeys with garret to cross wing, on plinth, with eaves on large brackets to central hall bays, suggesting possible Wealden plan origin, and eaves line stepped up to right end bay and wing at break in sandstone coursing. Roof half-hipped to left and with gable projecting at right, with clustered polygonal stacks to right, and stacks to left and rear centre right. Two light leaded wooden casement in gable to right, and two 2 light casements to left on first floor, 5 light casement to centre with 2 light to right and 4 light in cross wing. C15 stone windows with paired arched lights and labels on ground floor to end left and to right and 2, 5 and 4 light C19 arched wooden casements to centre left, centre right and cross wing. Two storey porch to centre left. the upper storey timbered and gabled with restored bresummer and pendants and with coved oriel wih 3 light leaded casement, the lower storey of sandstone with four centred wave moulded arched outer doorway with label and R and P inscribed in the spandrels. Benched passage and rib and stud inner door. C19 rear wings. Walled forecourt and rear garden walls of red brick on average about 3 feet in height, ramped up to front gateway, and ramped up again to north wall to about 8 feet in height and including a boarded door. Interior: main range with full frame and hall roof with heavily moulded cambered tie beam with massive knee bracing supported on corbel brackets and enriched with foliage/tree carving with birds, carrying a moulded octagonal crown post with capital and base. The roof of the cross wing with staggered purlins and arched wind braces. The cross wing with stop chamfered beams, evidence of jettying on ground floor and a wave moulded arched door in the rear, stone built, wall. Resited four centred arched door in main range with moulded surround and spandrels enriched with carved swan; moulded cross-panelled ceiling in upper room. Late C17 bolection moulded surround to very large inglenook in rear wall of hall, and raised and fielded panelled stair well. Full range of domestic service rooms attached to rear, and cellars. Spelmonden was the principal manor of Horsmonden; the parish church was built on the manor's lands. The Lord of the Manor, Richard Lord Poynings, married Isabel, heiress of Lord Fitzpayn c.1380. This marriage was celebrated by the building of the west tower at Horsmonden church, and the letters R P in the spandrel of the similarly detailed porch at Spelmonden say refer to this member of the Poynings family (but see B.O.E. Kent, vol.1, p.334, which suggests a late C15 date for the porch). Vestiges of a piscina or sacrarium were observed in the house in 1838 (C.Greenwood, An Epitomy of County History - Kent, 1838; quoted in Cronk, St.Margaret's Church, Horsmonden). Listing NGR: TQ6965039070