Brent Eleigh

Pictures of buildings mentioned in the second edition “Suffolk” volume of “The Buildings of England” series by Sir Nikolaus Pevsner.

I could not really understand the entry in Pevsner (Ed 2) following that for St Mary. It says “In the churchyard the former library, rebuilt in 1859. Built originally c. 1700 it used to stand against the E wall of the church, which at that time had no window.” There was no sign of this. It is generally reckoned that it was “demolished in the restoration of 1860” or “The chancel E window is Victorian and was constructed in 1857 when a library of c 1700 that previously abutted this end of the church, was demolished”. Pevsner implies it was moved within the churchyard. Don’t go there hoping to see it (but the church is an interesting one, as explained in the first link above). James Bettley solves this conundrum in the third edition saying "Its free standing replacement was demolished in 1988".

The next entry is for Brent Eleigh Hall. “A puzzling and very attractive house. Centre and two far-projecting wings, as if basically Elizabethan. The centre with its pediment is now Early Georgian in character”. After some internal details he goes on “The giant Tuscan portico along the centre of the garden side between the wings is clearly of c. 1800-10. The canted bays of the wings are said to have been added at the same time. Moreover,
Lutyens was busy at Brent Eleigh Hall in 1933-4. He enlarged the entrance hall, made the Early Georgian-looking entrance doorway, altered the windows, and made the fireplaces in the hall and the dining room. The dining room was also further altered by Lutyens”.

One side is visible from just behind the church as shown here:

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It was for sale in Spring 2013 and a photo of the side with the wings and porticos was in the Sales Brochure as copied here (so not my photograph but too good to miss out on):

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The final entry in Brent Eleigh is for Colman’s Almshouses of which Pevsner says “1731. Brick, two-storeyed, with segment-headed windows”.

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