1.  HUNTS, a timber-framed house, the front clad with weather tiling. The local shoemaker lives here and the verandah is the remains of a butcher's shop earlier this century. The parlour wing on the right, with its fine outside chimney, was probably added about 1600 during prosperous times.  There are good attics with a large dormer window.

2. ELM COTTAGE, 17th century, lies just beyond the Post Office. Although it stands well back from the present road, an old photograph shows that the common land once reached nearly to the front door.  Notice the chimney stack which stands well away from the walls.

4.  THE CAGE, the small building on your right, was an overnight prison and the only building which stood on the common. There are constables bills showing its use in the 1790's.  It is built of Charlwood stone with galleting (small pieces of darl stone inserted in the mortar) and has recently been restored and the doorway raised. It is now used as in office by the Clerk of the parish council.

5. SUN COTTAGES is the name given to the small close of houses further down on your left.  They are all old houses, MEADOWS EDGE and SUN COTTAGE on the right are 17th century and timber framed. FARTHINGS, the white brick house on the left was until recently a pair of small cottages, each with one room up and one down and a lean-to kitchen which contained the stairs.
Turn round and take the lane to your left, called either Rosemary or Cony lane.

6. TUDOR COTTAGE on your left originally had one floor only. Prom, the side you can see the large timbers and the thick upper end of the main posts, often found in 16th century houses.  It was thatched until the 1930's.

7. OLD ROSEMARY COTTAGE, also on your left, is a late 16th century house with its timber framing still visable and unchanged.  In complete harmony with its surroundings, Rosemary Cottage seems almost to have grown out of the ground on which it stands.

Carry on down the lane.

8.  THE VILLAGE SCHOOL, built just before World War 1, lies in front of you at the end. Nowadays the children transfer to Horley at eight years old.

Turn left to see two medieval open hall houses.

9.  MORES, on the left, with its Horsham stone roof, was extended to make a smoke bay and later a chimney was added beyond that.

10. SWAN COTTAGE, on the right, had an outside chimney added when the open hall was floored over. Notice the steep roof which suggests it was once thatched.

Return past the school and turn left down an unmade road.

11.  CHAPEL FARM is a timber-framed house built with an outshot atthe back containing the stairs.  The wing on the left is recent, within living memory cattle were kept in the low barn attached on the right.

12.  PROVIDENCE CHAPEL lies beyond.  This curious  ranch-like boarded building, which is still used for services and Sunday school, is said to have been erected here in 1816.  There is a wide verandah paved with Charlwood stone.  The little burial ground has a number of tomb stones, including one to Thomas Round, whose charity to the poor of the parish provided bread each New Year's Day.

13. PROVIDENCE COTTAGES. Turn directly back to Chapel road, passing the row of four 19th century cottages, built of bricks using a decorative pattern of red and brown with some black headers.  The red bricks were made in a kiln and the brown bricks were made by mixing coal dust into the clay before burning outside in a clamp.

14. HARROW HOUSE, with its fine timber-framing and a Horsham stone roof, is opposite.  It was the Plough and Harrow Inn until the 1820's at which time the land across the road, now the Perrylands Housing Estate, was common land.
Take the narrow path further along on your left between two hedges, which leads to the main road through the village.

15. The OLD MILL faces you across the road, standing well back. The top of this tall smock mill was burned down in 1901 and the base has been converted to a cottage.

 
Turn right here to get back to the Hall.  If you are still feeling strong continue on to Walk Two.

16. CHARLWOOD PLACE FARM can be seen ahead on the right. This farmhouse is a central Chimney house built in 1590 with early additions at the back and on the left and a new roof overall.  Traditional central chimney houses were built with a fairly large room on each side of the chimney bay, up and down, with the four flues running into one stack.  The front door of Charlwood Place Farm faced the Common.  The granary, barns and farm pond can still be seen.

17. BOYS' SCHOOL.  The white houses on the other-side of the road was the Boys' School at the turn of the century.

Return in the direction you came until you reach the Recreation Ground, which was formed when the commons were enclosed in 1846.

18. KINGS WHIM in the far corner behind the swings is an 18th
century house with a modern wing.

On reaching the exit from the. 'Rec' cross the road (Ifield Road) and turn left.

19. THE DOLBY GREEN complex is on your right.  It is formed (from left to right) by a barn adjoining an open hall house which was jettied in the front, a later timber-framed house and lastly a modern house built recently to replace a Victorian house on the same site.  The Barn was once headquaters of the Volunteer Fire Brigade but now forms part of the living accomodation.

20. WEAVERS stands back from the road just after Chalmers Close. The brick cladding hides a small timber-framed open hall cottage. There is evidence of a long window such as is usually found in a weavers house.

21. LITTLE DOLBY, further along near the brook, is also a fine open hall house,  with a crown post roof.  James Dolby who was fellmonger (a dealer in skins or hides) lived here in 1851.

As you do so you will pass (on the other of the road)

22. THE OLD BAKEHOUSE.  Another open hall house with a fine crown post roof and smoke blackened rafters, this was a bakehouse in the early part of this century and like many of these old houses was originally one house, in the last century became three cottages, and is now one house again. Turn left between the white posts immediatley beyond Dolby Green on to the foot path known as Blackditch. This is paved with Charlwood stone (see notes). These old stones will lead you to the Half Moon (and the Church). Look at the interesting group of buildings here, for this area was once the centre of village life.

23. The HALF MOON'S Victorian facade hide the remnants of a medieval house with a crown post, which is itself enclosed within a 17th century house. The little tile hung cottage adjoining is late 17th century

24. THE COTTAGES, THE STREET, opposite the Half Moon, are both 15th century. The one nearest the Church has smoke blackened rafters and crown posts and was jettied facing the Church. The adjoining cottage, which was probably built a generation or two later, also has crown posts and had a jetty facing the Half Moon. Evidence of the jetty can be seen in the timber framing when viewed from the side.

25. TEMPLE BAR HOUSE, on your right, with its steep roof and brick front hides another medieval hall house with smoke blackened rafters. Notice the unusual sliding windows upstairs.

Continue up to the main road and turn left for the Parish Hall.

26. The GLEBE HOVEL (open cattle shelter) in the field on your left is probably 200 years old.  It is slightly curved, an unusual feature. This was once glebe land which was farmed by the Rector as part of his living.
Turn left at the end of Church Path and around the Brook you will see three houses, all with open halls

27.  TANYARD FARM is on your left.(The lowest part is the old house)
This was bequeathed to the Religious Society of Friends in 1683 and remained in their possession for many years. Over 100 Quakers, many of them from Ifield,were buried in the fields beyond.

28. PRIMROSE COTTAGE stands back off the road on your right (it is only visible from the road in winter). It is small unspoiled house with exposed timber framing and a Horsham stone roof.

29. ROBINS FARM, just beyond the brook, is larger, although the wing on the right is relatively modern.  It too has exposed timber framing and a Horsham stone roof. The larger diagonal braces are typical of the 15th and 16th Centuries.
Turn back and go left up Glovers Road.

30. IVY and CHERRY COTTAGES on your right were built soon after 1846 on land recently enclosed from the common. They were farm workers cottages. The brick bond is known as Poor Mans Brick as by putting bricks on their side the maximum area of wall could be built with the minimum number of bricks.

31. TWO STACKS is tucked away behind but once stood on the edge of the common.  It was built with a smoke bay, the transition stage
between open hall and chimney.

32. BROOK COTTAGE, as you would expect, is by the brook, on the right near the end of the road.  The end is a small open hall house and on the left are 17th century timber framed additions.

33. GLOVER'S HOUSE stands at the end of the road.  Hidden behind the fine Victorian facade is a timber-framed 17th century dwelling.

Walk back down Glovers road and turn left at the end. This is Rectory Lane and will lead you back to the Parish Hall. On your left you will pass several interesting housess-

34. PAGE WOOD HOUSE lies well back. The timbers are covered but it is a large open hall house with crown posts.  Elderly Charlwood people can remember it as three cottages.

35. PAGE WOOD COTTAGE, with its unspoiled colourful front, was built with a smoke bay. This was replaced with a large chimney at the back of the house, which rises through the outshot roof.

36. SPRING COTTAGE belongs to the 18th century. The ground floor  is brick built with a tile hung timber-framing above. The internal walls are timber-framed and there is an inglenook, fireplace. The stairs are contained in an outshot.

37. BRISTOW'S or SCHOOL COTTAGE stands back from the road. This charming low cottage was built about 1620 as a charity school for boys by the Rev. Bristow. Although there is no known documentary evidence, it is understood that it remained a school until about 1870.

38. The west end of BARBERS COTTAGES consists of an 18th century cottage behind the 20th century front.

39. LAUREL COTTAGE is a small open hall house. The chimney was added at a later date, with the stack well away from the house. Note the large braces which are a feature or early houses. 

The Parish Hall is few steps ahead.

42.  STANHILL HOUSE is on your right.  There is no front door on the road side because the old road was on the other side of the house.  The present road was built sometime between 1841 and 1870.  The lower part of the house is built with Charlwood stone.  Notice the large external chimney with stone at the base and the stack built away from the house.

At the bottom of the hill are four houses, including the only thatched house remaining in the village.  Taking them in clockwise order:-

43.  DORMER COTTAGE on the left needs to be seen from the Norwood Hill Road as this is the part that is old; a medieval house with crown post roof.

44. THE COTTAGE, Norwood Hill Road, is the name of the house opposite and this again is an open hall house.

45. SPOTTLES down the aptly named Pudding Lane, opposite the bottom of Stan Hill, is yet another open hall house perhaps one of the oldest.  The wing on the right is modern.  In front and to the right was once Spottles Common.
At one time Pudding Lane led to COLLE, the largest house in Charlwood at the time of the Hearth Tax in 1662.  Sadly, Colle has long since vanished.

Medieval or Open Hall

In medieval times houses were not built with chimneys. The fire was on the floor in the big central room or hall.  There was no first floor above the hall and the smoke went out through the roof.  

Smoke Bay

This is the transition stage between Open Hall and Chimney. A large part of the hall was floored over leaving a smaller area (about 6ft. deep) for the smoke to rise.

Chimneys 

Chimneys were not built into houses until after 1550 or thereabouts.

Outshots 

The ground plan of timber-framed buildings was always rectangular and just one room deep |12-20ft/).  This could most easily be enlarged by adding a single storey outshot at the back with a lean-to roof.

Crown Post 

This term refers to the type of roof construction.  The crown post is a central vertical support, which itself is supported by diagonal braces (Which give stability to a building). A  crown post roof suggests a date of 1550 or earlier.  Charlwood Church has eight crown posts.

Committee and Historians: Richard Barker, Pat Billingshurst, Tony Brookes, Vida Campen, Morna Case, Colin Gates, Julie Lowe, Jean Shelley, Barry Smith, Joan Wright, and many other contributors to numerous to mention.

Author: Pat Billingshurst
Professional Designer: Snowy Noble
Framing: Robin Worth