Binfield Place is an
English country house
An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...
. It is a historic
Grade II*
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...
listed building. The house is located at the west edge of
Binfield
Binfield is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England, which at the 2011 census had a population of 8,689. The village lies north-west of Bracknell, north-east of Wokingham, and south-east of Reading at the westernmost extremity of ...
,
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Be ...
.
History
The current building may be the oldest house in the parish.
What remains today is part of a larger early 16th century house, probably built by Robert Sampson, "'Clarke of the Counsell' to
Henry VII".
Sampson was originally from
Kersey, Suffolk
Kersey is a village and civil parish in the Babergh district in Suffolk, in the east of England. The main street has a ford across a stream. Its principal claim to fame is that a coarse woollen cloth called Kersey cloth takes its name from it. ...
.
A 17th-century bas-relief of a lady's head, known as the "Luck of Binfield," hangs in the house. The superstition is that any owner that removes it will be cursed.
As of 2010, the building contained offices.
Architecture
Distinguished by the large 18th century Gothic window to the right of the entrance, just the hall block and east wing of the original house remain.
The building was originally
half-timbered
Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...
but was refaced with brick in the early 18th century.
An extension was added to the house in the late 18th century.
The interior contains much 17th century panelling, along with 16th century beams and fireplace.
Marking the southern entrance to the property is a
Grade II
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ire ...
listed 17th-century gateway with brick posts and stone cappings and balls.
References
External links
Royal Berkshire History – BinfieldHistoric England – Binfield Place
Grade II* listed buildings in Berkshire
Grade II* listed houses
Country houses in Berkshire
Bracknell Forest
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