elsewhere in the country (one notable example being Prinkhams, Chiddingstone, Kent). These somewhat rare examples in the South – East are not to be confused with the widespread practice in the region of applying a narrow moulded timber to the close-studded framework which also serves as a continuous window sill, as at Old Bell Farm, Harrietsham, Kent.
A feature of many of the timber-framed buildings is the use of decorative framing (17), none of which had a structural role, within the panels formed by the studs and horizontal rails. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and when the panels were fairly large, diagonal strutting, often in the form of a herringbone pattern, was popular. It is absent in the East, rare in the South-East but can be found over much of the West Midlands, Welsh Marches and South Lancashire. It appears in such famous houses as Speke Hall, Merseyside, Little Moreton Hall, Cheshire, and Pitchford Hall, Shropshire, as well as on numerous smaller houses in many of the towns and villages along the Welsh border. During the second half of the sixteenth century, when close panelling became popular, the motifs within the panels became more elaborate. The effect was achieved by the use of short, curved timbers elaborately cut to form quadrant braces. The concave-sided diamond shape, which was often enriched by shaping
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