Little Wenham Hall is one of the oldest houses in England. It dates from around 1260-68 and is constructed of flint, tile and Belgian brick. The bricks were brought over as ballast in ships. Apparently, specialists had to be sent for from tbe Low Countries to construct the house as the skilled workers were not available in England. The comer construction of the turrets uses ashlar limestone. Some of the bricks arc monogrammed with the crosslct of the dc Browse family. When I saw it, the whole building was a light honey colour, despite the grey flint. It is a most attractive building with its battlementcd walls and towers. It is more or less original despite the Perpendicular alterations which blend well.
The building is L-shaped with a ground and first floor, 44 feet (13.5 m) long and 24 feet (7.3 m) wide. At the base the walls arc over a metre thick. The main entrance has a French inscription over: ‘Cecy fait c) I’aide dc Dicu I’an dc Grace, 1569’ (This was made with the help of God in the year of grace 1569). This was not however the original entrance, and there are indications that the main entrance was originally on the first floor in the west wall, access being up stone steps (now missing). The other blocked-up doorway may possibly have been a gardcrobe.
Modern facilities have been fitted internally, but originally the ground floor consisted of a large banqueting hall and chapel. The hall is about 40 feet (12 m) long and has a Tudor recess, a large hearth, deeply recessed windows with iron staples for shutters and an oak ceiling.
The chapel, which is 13 feet (4 m) square, is dedicated to St Pctronilla. There is a three-light window, a piscina and a sedile. This is a most unusual arrangement as chapels were normally on an upper floor with nothing built over, so the person’s prayers could go directly to God, without interruption!
Up a spiral staircase there was room for four solars. There is access to the roof and the battlements. The building almost certainly had an Elizabethan extension, made with a wooden frame, but this has long since disappeared.
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