Seddon's Fold Farmhouse

Seddon's Fold Farmhouse is a 17th-century vernacular farmhouse with extensions of the later 17th and 18th centuries. It is timber-framed with stone and brick walls and stone slate roofs.

The house has a double-pile plan facing south with two bays of two storeys plus attic, and to the north two single-room two-storey extensions. The house is considered to have been of baffle/lobby entry plan with the entrance at the southwest corner and stairs in the northwest corner.

The farmhouse is the principal building forming the northern side of a farmstead also comprising a cruck barn, byre and stable, occupying the highest point at the west end of a tongue of land formed by the westernmost meander of the River Irwell where it is joined by the River Croal.

Exterior

The south elevation of the original farmhouse is largely walled in soft machine-made red bricks in English Garden Wall bond with headers every sixth course. There is an entrance at the left with segmental arched head and some stonework to the jamb and quoins above. To the right are a first-floor window opening and a wider ground floor one, with wide stone sills. Further to the right the wall has largely collapsed, exposing the corner chimney breast, but it appears to have been stone-built in this area and retains the stone-built left-hand jamb of a former parlour window. Attached to the left are the partial remains of a former two-storey, four-bay early 19th-century brick extension, which is not included in the listing.

The west return shows the former west gable of the later extension has been removed exposing the interior. Set back above this is the west gable of the original farmhouse of squared coursed sandstone, partially concealed by brickwork and plaster. The copings are missing and the verge rafters are exposed. Set back again is the west elevation of the rear extension constructed of squared coursed buff sandstone, obscured at ground floor by a rendered lean-to extension with sheet metal roof. At first floor there is a central straight vertical joint indicating the extent of the first extension, with alternating quoins to the right of this joint. Above this is a brick chimney stack with 19th-century pot. Each bay has a modern two-light timber casement window; the left-hand one appears to be inserted within a larger opening, with vertical straight joints to either side. The left-hand angle has alternating quoins.

On the rear elevation, to the right the ground floor of the early 19th-century extension is not included. At the left the northwest corner of the original farmhouse has been partially taken down, exposing blockwork over a modern steel lintel to a through-passage north door. Above the blockwork is a stone lintel and a straight vertical joint below this suggests the location of a former window opening. To the left of the through-passage door jamb is a window opening with projecting sill and hood mould above the lintel; the left jamb is incomplete, and to the left a later lean-to extension obscures the wall. Above this window is a square modern casement timber window with rendered sill and concrete lintel. Immediately to the left of this first-floor window is a small square blocked window, probably the former stair light, with square arched lintel. The east part of this elevation is obscured by the 17th-century and 18th-century rear extensions. The north wall of the latter is blind, of diminishing coursed sandstone. One long stone approximately a metre above ground level may be a lintel, possibly relating to the cellar. The gable appears partially rebuilt and has been patched with cement pointing and render at the verges, which overhang. To the left a 19th-century first-floor brick corner stack has been removed exposing the inner wall of the flue.

The east return comprises three bays of coursed sandstone with vertical joints between each. The left, gabled bay forms the east elevation of the original farmhouse and has a central attic window, two first-floor windows and a ground floor window to the right. The attic window is three lights with stone sill, lintel, jambs and mullions; timber casements have been inserted. The right-hand first-floor window has stone sill, lintel and jambs but concrete mullions, possibly with stone behind. The left-hand window has a structural timber frame and no stone dressings. The ground floor window retains its stone surround and mullions with historic small paned timber casements. This elevation has vertical shoring retained by scaffolding projecting through the windows and wall. The centre and right bays each have a window at ground and first floor. The centre bay has alternating quoins at the right-hand side and a central window at each level. These each have vertical stone jambs with concrete sills; the lower one also has a concrete lintel but the upper lintel is stone. The ground floor window of the right-hand bay is offset to the left; these two each have concrete lintel and sill, and stone-built jambs. The proportions indicate that all four windows in these extensions were once three-light mullioned windows but the current windows are three-light timber storm-proofed casements.

The roofs are all of diminishing stone flags with ridge pieces. The south pitch of the house has temporary ply boarding now very deteriorated and patched with metal sheeting. Rafter feet project all around and are concealed by bargeboards.

Interior

The original farmhouse has timber-framed partitions with wattle-and-daub nogging and some lath-and-plaster, and stone flag floor. The roof is of truss construction with a tie beam and raking struts; some timbers are reused cruck blades. Diamond-set ridge purlins with three rows of side purlins to the house and two rows of side purlins to the extension, which is hipped into the north pitch with its ridge at the level of the first purlin of the house. The rafters are all of machine-sawn softwood. Beams are chamfered with stops, some being underdrawn by planks and partially concealed by plaster. A through-passage occupies the position of the former hearth but the former bressumer beam survives, supported by jowelled posts carved with horizontal mouldings, and at the south end by a cast iron column with capital. There are 17th-century stone fireplaces in the parlour (southeast ground floor room) and the master bedroom (west first-floor room), and inserted late 18th-century stairs and door architraves. Blocked windows are found at ground and first floor in the west wall. The north wall of the northeast room has an inbuilt cupboard which may be a blocked window, with vertical boarded doors with strap hinges.

At the northwest base of this wall is the entrance to a cellar, with a flight of stone steps with a timber arched lintel. The cellar comprises three chambers: at the foot of the steps is a stone chamber with a vaulted roof running east-west; to the east of this is another chamber, inaccessible at the time of survey but appearing to extend the full width of the extension and to have a stone east wall; to the north is a third chamber, comprising a vault of hand-made brick (possibly of two phases) running north-south and divided lengthways off-centre, the west half having sloping flag floor draining to a central outlet and thought to function as an ice-house. The division originally stopped to create a linking doorway adjacent to the north wall; this is now infilled, the infill cutting across a barred window opening with large stone dressings. To the right of this is a niche, possibly a former doorway, now blind and blocked by an additional brick skin up to the height of the base of the roof.

The rear extensions have stone flag floors and an inserted stone fireplace, a stair ascending from west-east on the north wall and plaster cornice above. The first floor was not inspected.

The former extension abutting the west gable is very fragmentary and the lean-to extension against the west elevation is modern and functional. They are not included in the listing.