Claughton Hall Farmhouse

This is a farmhouse, possibly dating to around 1600, with some features from the 15th century. It originally formed a wing of Claughton Hall, and remained on its original site after the main hall was dismantled and rebuilt. The house is constructed from sandstone rubble with a stone slate roof.

The north-east facade has a projecting wing, adjacent to a small two-storey outshut and a projecting chimney. To the left of the wing is a wide entrance, now a window, with a segmental arch and chamfered surround. A narrow doorway with a chamfered surround is next, followed by a tall window also with a chamfered surround. Above the door is a carved stone shield of arms of the Croft family, held by a figure, and a lintel inscribed 'TIC 1673'. On the first floor are two windows with rendered surrounds. The right-hand side of the facade features a one-light chamfered window to the left of the door, and a four-light rebated and chamfered mullioned window to the right. The first floor also has two-light and four-light hollow-chamfered mullioned windows. The front door has plain reveals and is of two panels with vertical battens. A chimney on the left-hand gable projects on the first floor with corbels, while the chimney on the right-hand gable has been reconstructed; this gable aligns with the left-hand gable of the present Claughton Hall.

A stone in the shape of an inverted ‘V’, with a carved head and the scratched date ‘1?15’, is set above a re-tooled 19th-century window on the north-west wall of the projecting wing. On the south-east wall of this wing, to the left, are a door and window with a cement surround. To the right is a door with plain reveals and a concrete lintel, flanked by windows with plain reveals.

Inside the right-hand part of the wing are three roof trusses. The right-hand truss has a curved brace from the tie beam to a jowled principal post within the north-west wall. The adjacent truss has an empty mortise for a similar brace. There are no similar mortise holes at the opposite ends of the tie beams, suggesting only one wall was timber-framed. The purlins have short straight wind braces. The thin sections of timber indicate a post-medieval date. The original purpose of this building is uncertain, as it may have been free-standing.

The interior of the farmhouse includes large chamfered main ceiling joists and common joists laid flat. A reconstructed staircase has turned oak balusters.