The Brew House, Eashing

 

The Brew House stands high above the river in the grounds of Eashing House. This was probably the original family home, built in the first half of the 17th century, which was later converted to a brew house when the new Eashing House was built. However, it is not known how this building was used for brewing.

This is a substantial three-bay timber-framed house of two storeys and attics, with a blocked cellar as well. There are ranges of glazed windows of eight lights on each floor of the north west gable end and others in the back rooms. The roof is gabled with two butt purlins on each side, with wind braces; square panel framing; newel post to the stair.

The house is unusual in having the gable end as a decorated front to the house. There are moulded barge boards and long ranges of glazed windows.There is no space for a front door here, and an old photograph shows a porched door out at the back. The modern front door is on the east side.Whether this building had been the added parlour wing to an earlier house, now gone, is not known. The one small service room seems inadequate for a house of this quality.

The windows are noteworthy: diamond mullions fashioned for glazing have carpenters’ assembly marks on each. Marks in this position are not usually recognised. Early glass was made locally in Chiddingfold but was an expensive luxury.

The plan is of one large room downstairs occupying two bays, with a hearth on the west side and a newel stair in the east side. The chamfered and stopped spine beam stretched through both bays. Joists are plain and at this time would probably have been plastered over. The stair newel is chamfered with lamb tongue stops. The bay behind is divided into two rooms and there had been two doors through, one on either side of the central post. The spine beam was chamfered and stopped only towards the room on the west side. This room has a blocked five-light window and was probably the unheated parlour. The other small room with the door to the garden was a service room.

The hearth in the main room was, unusually, partly in and partly outside the room. There are traces of two circular structures beside it, one of which may have been a bread oven.

The winding stair leads up to the first floor where bedrooms are over those below. Here the main bedroom has two ranges of windows to match those below. Two spine beans cross the room with seven joists in each square.

The stair leads up to the attics where the door framing has painted zigzags in white on a black background. Behind this beam are half circles.

This is a fine house which retains many original features.

Recorded by Alison Welfare, David Sturge, Marian Herridge and Joan Harding, August 1980
Copyright DBRG 1980

There are many sketches and photos of the house, all from the DBRG recording:

Brew House photos 1980

Brew House before and after alterations

Brew House sketch

Brew House ground plan

Brew House first floor plan

Brew House long diagram and plan

Brew House west elevation

Brew House window mullions

Brew House carpenters assembly marks

Brew House carpenters marks on joists

Brew House truss

Brew House truss details