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Swan House (and School View), West Street (SMR 16385)
Discussion
This building is quite unlike any of the other properties
analysed in the village. In terms of quality, decoration and
scale this is a very high status building indeed and as such
its relatively undistinguished site on the north side of West
Street is something of a puzzle. Duncan James notes that it
has many features in common with three other nearby buildings:
Bryndraenog, (Radnorshire), Chapel Farm, (Herefordshire),
and the hall in 5 Harley Court, Hereford, such that it may
be that they were built by the same team of craftsmen. He
suggests there are sufficient differences between the rest
of them and this one to perhaps indicate this is slightly
later than the others, and this appears to be borne out by
the somewhat later date for Swan House compared to Bryndraenog,
some 25km NW in Radnorshire, tree-ring dated to 1436 (Miles
et al 1996). Comparison of the tree-ring sequences from the
two buildings doesn't show such a similarity as to imply common
sources for the timber. The date obtained does fit Swan House
(and presumably School View) into the apparent rush of construction
occurring around AD1450 in Pembridge identified at a number
of other properties.
The
above is from the following report: "The History and
Heritage of Pembridge: A report on the tree-ring analysis
of ten houses"
Report Number ARCUS 574q
Compiled by Ian Tyers, with contributions by Duncan James
Date December 2002
For more information please contact the secretary of the Pembridge Amenity Trust info@pembridgeamenitytrust.co.uk
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