For my personal research upon scratch-building projects I find It is interesting to define the actual outside edge of such structures first. Very true lots have changed in just a little over two hundred years,but it is that boundry line that is now mapped out so well by satellite that defines the complexities of buildings surrounding in this case of added interest: the inner courtyards themselves and outlaying gardens.
The rendered up bottom section of wall is much more modern than the old doorways it covers.
The original square patterns at the top and the straight reinforcement iron upon the walls were probably in place back in the day of the battle so the brickwork is sound and true.
With the old brick work patterns ,and bricked up windows,and doorways all with original lintels still intact ,also help define the newer part of walls from the old,as shoddy working styles down throughout the ages stick out like rather soar thumbs. The arched out patterns over the top of larger entranceways can define where single or larger double doors were originally installed. Many of these often are bricked up but their unmistaken shape and size remains locked tight fitting within the walls.
See the slopping angle in the wall?
The horseshoe shaped iron traces the sloop defining the old part from that of change.
Old reinforcement iron and straight slopping mortar lines also helps trace out in this case the actual change to the front entrance way,and can be clearly seen in modern day enhanced pictures. Although the date of such alterations cannot be found without official building reports,and here within this narrow scope of devided interest there might well be none available.
What they knocked down they used again.
It was the case I believe that cleaned up recycled bricks converted the front wall sections of what walls we clearly see today. Well in photographs anyway since the old dilapidated eyesore is no more.
Finding baked clay pantiles on the site can determine what type of roof my own work will have,because simply put they show a greater depth concerning age of any old place. Straight clay tiles and slate reach further back,unlike the diamond patterns upon rooftops do. So finding such evidence can help decide upon the shape,and structure of such a build.
The covered garden entrance is on the left of this picture. The other far off to the right.
Looking at area`s of interest out back of this old oddly shaped place there appears mapped out by plants that grow wild to have been a narrow entrance leading into the large Hawthorn edged garden,and also another larger wide open space outback too accommodate the flow of larger horse drawn wagons. So most certainly there was a open gate way through the hedgerow leading to the main road itself.
Most certainly as I have studied many such places in this neck of the woods,that dove cotes were originally placed over such open style gateway entrances out back,and in the case of researching Hougoumont ( Goumont ) where there were three dove cotes,and one over the entrance of La Haye Sainte, this proved to be the case. In Goumont one was built over the well atop a stone structure so extra food on the wing of wood pigeons just flew in. Another over the garden entrance to the formal garden,and a dove cote was actually built into the back of the roof of the front facing main building which is now covered over in shinny clean new modern tiles. They termed such work restoration, I call it vandalism on a grand modern scale.
Well it has been great fun joining in,but I realise this to have been a rather long winded read so thanks for taking time out for it, and giving me some leeway upon revealing clues hidden in old style buildings that can help model makers place interesting details upon any scratch building projects.
BB