BOUGHTON MONCHELSEA CHURCH HILL TQ 74 NE (East side) 2/9 Boughton 25.7.52 Monchelsea Place, and courtyard buildings GV I Country house. Circa 1567-75, (but possibly started c.1551-54) and probably built as an addition to an earlier house to west. Alterations and additions of circa 1685-90, circa 1785-1805, and 1819. Ragstone, roughly coursed from immediately south of porch to north gable end. South end room and whole of south return elevation more evenly coursed. Coursed galleted stone to upper part of east porch. Plain tile roof. East and south ranges of a former courtyard house. East facing mid C16 L-plan range comprises one narrow room room to west return at south end, and 3 principal rooms on ground floor of main range. Two-bay central room or entrance hall was probably, until late C17, of 2-storey height, with attic floor over, and probably incorporated an undershot cross (or screens) - passage to north end (now absorbed within entrance hall). First floor of main range probably comprised one room to south end, and a larger principal room to north of hall, extended over cross-passage, and possibly with smaller chamber to north end. Rectangular C16 stone west stair turret, probably built slightly after walls of main range, overlapping cross-passage and principal room. 2-storey stone east porch (probably of C16 origin, possibly with C19 re-worked ground floor), centrally placed by c.1720. Late C17 brick staircase hall parallel to rear (west) of main range, infilling gap between C16 stair turret and short south- west return. Range running west from south-west return probably of pre-C16 origin, largely rebuilt in 1819. North and west ranges demolished by 1819 (possibly in mid-to-late C18), and replaced, probably in about 1819, by continuous range of red-and-grey brick outbuildings. Late C18 or early C19 two-storey red brick section on stone base to east end of north range. 2- storeys, attics and cellar. East elevation: battered plinth to north of porch. No plinth immediately north of porch, or to south. Low chamfered stone plinth to south elevation. Ashlared eaves frieze with moulded base and cornice, said to pass behind gable of porch, and not returned. Early C19 battlements, returned along south elevation. Roof hipped to south, hip returning along south elevation. Gable to north with flat-topped finial. Stack to junction of main range and south-west return, and another to west end of return. Slender rear (west) stack to south end of entrance hall, 3 rear stacks to north of centre, and projecting gable-end stack to north. 2 further stacks to rest of south range. 4 late-C16 gabled stone eaves dormers, with flat tops, kneelers, and 2-light Gothick windows with stone labels. Gothick frames set within round-headed C16 stone lights. Irregular fenestration of 5 tall rectangular stone architraves, one under each dormer and one to first floor of porch, the latter with hoodmould; possibly late C17, but with late C18 Gothick lights. 8 similar windows with hoodmoulds to ground floor; one group of 3 under each first-floor end window, one under south-central dormer and one adjacent to north of porch. Vertical jamb of blocked ground-floor door or window under north-central first-floor window, with projecting stone towards ground under it. Another window jamb between 2 north ground-floor windows. Five late-C16 rectangular two-and-three-light stone windows with round-headed lights, set along ground floor of south elevation. 2-storey porch slightly to south of centre, with ashlared ground floor, chamfered side plinths, and early C19 battlements above a moulded string; single round-headed light to each side wall of ground floor and moulded 4-centred arched inner and outer doorways, latter with rectangular hoodmould and hollow spandrels with shields. Courtyard: north range apparently built against lower remains of stone north wall of demolished C16 range. West range stops short of 1819 south range, and has C17 wooden clock turret (bell dated 1647) taken from the pre-1819 south range. Various sash windows and boarded doors. Hand-in-hand fire insurance plaque to C17 stair turret. Interior: blocked chamfered rectangular stone doorway concealed in wall between probable cross-passage and base of C16 stair turret. Stair turret has pointed-arched stone doorway to base of north wall, blocked by late C17 stack; C16 open well staircase with onion finials to newels, between first floor and attic, and 4 stone 2-light windows with round-headed lights (some blocked). Moulded 3- or 4-centred-arched stone doorway between stair turret and former principal first-floor room. Moulded 4-centred-arched stone fireplace with hollow spandrels to west wall of same room, with blocked stone window of 3 round-headed lights high in wall beside it. Altered C16 or C17 panelling. Panelled room fitted with shelves and cupboards within top of C16 stair turret. C16 or C17 panelling and 4-centred-arched moulded brick fireplace to north end room of attic. Stone window seats to each dormer. Side-purlin roof with windbraces. Three C16 or early C17 moulded stone fire- places, probably re-used, in south range. Late C17 open-well staircase with turned balusters, ramped moulded hand-rail and bolection-moulded dado panelling. Moulded plaster ceiling to stair-well. 3 doorways on first- floor landing with moulded wooden cornices, 2 also with eared architraves. Late C17 bolection-moulded panelling to room over entrance hall and to small room formed in ground floor of C16 stair-turret. Bolection-moulded fireplace to each of the 2 rooms. First floor sash window with thick glazing bars to north gable end. Late C18 Gothick entrance hall with shallow vaulted ceiling supported on clustered columns (behind one of which said to be evidence for C16 (screens-passage?) wall). Wooden shield commemorating 1832 Reform Bill. Parquet floor with star patterns. 2 Gothick ground-floor fireplaces. Mid C18 fireplace with fretwork design to south-east ground-floor room. Armorial stained-glass quarries to north room and entrance hall, bearing dates 1567, 1568 and 1575. Undated quarries to windows of late C17 stair-well, and fragments of early C17 North German stained glass, in church until c.1832. C16 family related to Wottons at Boughton Malherbe Place. (Country Life 20th and 27th June 1963. Guide book, n.d.) Listing NGR: TQ7716349982