Ballards - Bury Lane

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Ballards - Bury Lane

Members of the Ballard family lived in Bratton as far back as we have church records (1542). They were farmers and by the early 18th Century had become very rich. They modernised and extended Grange Farm on Lower Road; built Winters, also on Lower Road; and, most significantly of all, built Bratton House. Their wealth is also on display in the impressive, Grade II listed chest tombs, which are dedicated to members of the family, in the village churchyard of St James the Great. An article by Jean Morrison covers the history of the family in some detail but, curiously, does not mention this house, which, given its name, was almost certainly built by, or for, a member of the Ballard family.

The present house, dating from the late 18th Century, is a rebuilding of an earlier one and is Grade II listed. Built with Flemish-bond brick with a tiled roof, it has two parallel ranges. The elegant frontage has many typical Georgian features, including a lovely fan-light above the front door at its centre. However it is interesting to note that the symmetry seen in most Georgian properties has had to be adapted here to deal with the slope of Bury Lane. Outside, this is most noticeable in the treatment of windows with three pairs of 9-pane sash windows above each other on the left of the front door but only two pairs of 12-pane sash windows on the right. This change in level is further emphasised by the break in the row of ‘tooth’ bricks between the first and second floor levels.

You will notice another interesting window-related feature on the West side of the house where one of the windows has been bricked-up. We can’t be sure, but this may have happened after the threshold for payment of Window Tax was lowered from 10 to 7 windows in 1766. This tax, and particularly the lowering of the threshold, was very unpopular and led to the practice of blocking up windows to avoid paying the tax and led to the saying that, if something was felt to be unfair, it was ‘day-light robbery’.

Historic England listing

Historic England listing Ballard and Aldridge Monuments in the Churchyard

'The Ballards of Bratton House' by Jean Morrison

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