Recent investigation and a firm tree-ring date have made it possible to place this well-known early 14th-century building more securely in the chronology of the development of the medieval hall house. It shows some of the characteristics of early manorial complexes comprising various discrete domestic units but well advanced towards the classic arrangement where the principal accommodation is concentrated within a single structure. Its overall design and dimensions suggest that it is the work of an architect who probably operated from an ecclesiastical workshop. Includes an appendix on the roof structure at Nurstead by Richard Harris.