Close House

WITHNELL BOLTON ROAD SD 62 SW 6/223 Close House (Formerly listed 1.3.67 as Middle Farm House) - II

Farmhouse, now house. Dated 1638 on lintel of rear door but probably 2 builds; altered. Coursed sandstone rubble with quoins (painted white), roof of stone slate (front) and slate with coping and kneelers at right gable. L-shaped: 2-bay baffle-entry range with receding 2-bay left wing. Two storeys; large 2-storey gabled porch-cum-stairturret has doorway offset to right with roll-moulded surround and hoodmould, a chamfered round-headed window above, a stairlight window to the left with a hoodmould, and stone gable coping with kneelers; this stairlight and 2 windows on each floor to the left are all double-chamfered and formerly all of 2 lights but all lack mullions except that at ground floor left, which has a hoodmould, as has that next to the porch but with its right end covered by the porch (suggesting that porch is early addition). To right of porch a low gabled addition covers most of the 2nd bay, which otherwise has only all modern openings to front and rear and a lean-to at the gable wall. Left wing, facing east, has a former doorway offset right of centre altered as a window and 2 double-chamfered windows on each floor lacking all mullions but formerly of 3-lights to the left and 2 lights to the right; chimney at left gable and stone copings to both; rear re-entrant wall of this wing has a doorway with lintel lettered in relief "1638" (now covered by outer door). Rear of main range has mullioned windows of 2 and 3 lights at ground floor, one and 3 above (the smaller being firewindows). Interior: housepart has large inglenook with stone heck (pierced by triangular peephole) and stop-chamfered bressummer, and 2 longitudinal beams similarly decorated; chamber above has timber-framed corridor partition; main range has roof with exceptionally long purlins, the ends carried through the stone partition to the wing, vacant windbrace housings suggesting re-use; wing has principal-rafter roof truss with small angle struts and remains of clamstaff and daub infilling in the apex. Second bay of main range said to have been shippon.

Listing NGR: SD6369923260