Parlington Home Farm, including farmhouse and farm buildings

Parlington Home Farm was built between 1813 and 1815 by the York architectural firm Watson and Pritchett for Richard Oliver Gascoigne. It served as the home farm to the Parlington Estate and is located approximately 440 metres north-west of the former site of the hall, which has since been mostly demolished.

Construction and Materials

The farm is constructed of mellow red brick with brick and limestone dressings and limestone plinths. The roofs were originally covered in slate, though some have been replaced with late 20th-century concrete tiles.

Layout

The farm follows a quadrangular courtyard plan, with the farmhouse positioned on the south-east side of the yard.

General Character of the Farm Buildings

The farm buildings have a mixture of pitched and hipped roofs. Doorways and multipaned windows feature flat-arched heads and limestone sills, some of which are painted. Most windows are timber, though a small number have been replaced with uPVC.

The Farmhouse

The farmhouse is designed in the style of John Carr's work and stands two storeys high with a pitched roof. Two substantial chimneystacks rise from the centre of each roof pitch. The original slate roof coverings have been removed and replaced with concrete tiles.

The front south-east elevation and rear north-west courtyard-facing elevations are identically styled, though with varied glazing. Both are three bays wide with pedimented gables featuring ashlar dressings, including paired modillions that continue across the side elevations, and a glazed oculus window in each gable with multipaned glazing. The windows have flat-arched heads of gauged bricks and painted stone sills. While most windows now contain later casements, two six-over-six sash windows survive on the ground floor of the south-east elevation, with a further sash window surviving on the north-east side elevation. Each elevation has a central ground-floor doorway with a flat hood above, a three-light overlight, and a replaced door. Projecting outwards from each end of the south-east elevation in arching formations are low curving brick wing walls with stone copings that originally formed complete semi-circles on each side but have since been truncated.

The two-bay north-east and south-west side elevations both have blind windows on the first floor, while the north-east side also has an inserted window. Windows exist on the ground floor of the north-east side, whilst the south-west side has a doorway to the right (originally serving the back kitchen) with a flat hood above and modern French doors.

Attached to the left (north-western half) of the south-west side elevation and projecting out at a right angle is a single-storey range with a pitched roof covered in replaced concrete tiles and a number of original and later openings on both north-west and south-east elevations. The range was originally longer and has been truncated and partly demolished, although the rear (north-west) and south-west walls of the demolished section survive. A corresponding range on the north-east side was demolished between 1965 and 1972 to create another yard entrance, and the ghost marks of its pitched roof can still be observed.

Farmhouse Interior

Internally the farmhouse's internal arrangements are largely unaltered with a central hallway with two rooms off to each side on the ground floor, which is replicated on the first floor. Plain moulded cornicing exists in the principal rooms on the south-east (front) side of the ground floor (which also have ceiling roses), the hallway and first-floor landing areas, with plain coving in the first-floor rooms. Doorways have deep reveals and moulded architraves, and wide six-panel doors survive throughout. Separating the front hallway from the rear hallway on the ground floor is a six-panel door with large stained and leaded glass panels in the upper part.

A dog-leg stair is set to the centre rear with a sweeping turn, slender turned newel post, carved stick balusters, and a cut string. The kitchen is located to the rear left of the ground floor and has modern units, but retains an early laundry rack suspended from the ceiling. Two doorways (one of which is original) in the south-west wall lead into the single-storey range, which is now utility rooms and storage areas. An arched recess in the south-east wall contains a doorway that leads through to the front left room, which was originally the back kitchen. The fireplace has been removed and replaced by a modern gas fire and surround, but original arched recesses flanking the chimneybreast survive; that to the left has original built-in cupboards. The front right room is similarly styled, but with shallower arched recesses. A former store room and pantry to the rear right of the ground floor have been knocked through to form a single room, which is now in use as an office.

On the first floor an L-shaped landing provides access to the bedrooms and an attic stair. The rooms have plain coving and built-in cupboards, and the front-right bedroom has arched recesses. A doorway has been inserted through one of the cupboards to connect the two rooms on the south-west side. Fireplaces have been removed, along with a closet at the south-east end of the landing. A former bedroom to the rear right with a painted eight-light overlight above the door is smaller and is now a bathroom.

The attic is accessed via a separate stair flight with a shortened and simplified version of the main stair's newel post, plain stick balusters, a closed string and a ramped handrail, and a later inserted window in the house's north-east wall now lights the base of the stair. At the top of the stair is a small landing area with a single room off to both the front and rear with side hatches into eaves storage areas.

The basement was not inspected, but is understood to have a vaulted ceiling. The basement door underneath the main stair incorporates ventilation holes.

North-West Range

This two-storey principal range is approximately 211 feet long and retains its original slate roof coverings. It is symmetrical with a large three-bay threshing barn at the centre flanked by long four-bay wings, which are set back slightly.

On the eleven-bay north-west elevation the former threshing barn has two large segmental-arched openings to the outer bays (that to the left - north-east side - has a later timber door) and projecting out from the centre is a two-storey five-bay, hipped-roofed cross wing (which originally contained a threshing machine) with blocked-up doorways and window openings, along with an original blind window to the north-west end wall and blocked-up openings below, and a large inserted opening on the north-east side with a timber lintel.

The four-bay wings flanking the barn have blind windows to the inner bays of the ground floor and square windows to the first floor, and projecting single-bay, single-storey cross wings at the north-east and south-west ends. Late 19th-century single-storey lean-tos are attached in front of the south-western wing. The cross-wing projection at the north-east end has a blind segmental arch to the north-east side containing a boarded window, an enlarged cart opening to the south-west side with timber doors, and a blind window to the north-west gable end. The projection's roof coverings have been replaced by concrete tiles and the hipped roof is now pitched. The corresponding cross-wing projection at the south-west end has been converted into domestic accommodation, along with the two-storey section of the north-west wing immediately behind it (the whole now forming a residence known as Home Farm Cottage), which has a chimneystack rising from the north-west wall. The presence of the chimneystack, which does not appear to be a later addition, would suggest that at least part of this end section was possibly used as accommodation (perhaps for farm labourers) or for industrial processing necessitating a chimney. The projection, which early plans suggest was intended to be a slaughterhouse, has a blind arch to the south-west side incorporating an enlarged window opening with replaced uPVC glazing, a window with a flat-arched head and uPVC glazing to the north-west end wall, and an altered window to the north-east side adjacent to a 20th-century porch and late 19th-century lean-tos. The north-west range's south-west end wall, which also now forms part of Home Farm Cottage, has an inserted ground-floor doorway with patio doors and two later first-floor windows with uPVC glazing.

On the north-west range's fourteen-bay south-east yard-facing elevation the four centre bays project forward slightly with segmental-arched openings to the two outer bays lying opposite the threshing doors, and blind arched recesses containing windows to the inner bays. On the first floor are blind windows. The five-bay south-western wing has a series of doorways on the ground floor (one of which has been converted into a window with modern uPVC glazing) and windows on the first floor (two of which have been replaced with uPVC); the alterations all forming part of Home Farm Cottage. The range's five-bay north-eastern wing has a series of doorways and windows on the ground floor and windows on the first floor.

North-West Range Interior

The majority of the farm buildings' internal walls are plastered.

Internally the threshing barn has a concrete floor and is now partly occupied by two large 20th-century silos set upon a concrete and brick platform. The original roof structure is visible with its exposed king-post trusses, side purlins and rafters. A brick and limestone stair inside the south-west threshing entrance leads up to a former first-floor granary in the south-west wing, the south-western end of which now forms part of Home Farm Cottage. The former granary has boarded walls and ceiling. A corresponding stair inside the north-east threshing barn entrance leads up to the former first-floor granary in the north-east wing. Both have adjacent taking-in doors. The interior of the large north-west threshing-machine projection was not available for inspection.

A former cow house occupies the north-eastern part of the ground floor of the north-west range with fodder stores at the far north-east end and in the rear right projection. The former cow house has a part-concrete, part-brick floor and the south-western end has inserted 20th-century silos that pass through the first floor, and an inserted stair alongside the front (south-east) wall. A doorway in the north-east wall with a six-panel door leads into two probable fodder stores with brick floors. The first-floor former granary originally has a six-panel door providing access between areas. The roof has been ceiled, although beams are visible that probably form the tie beams of trusses above.

The ground floor of the range's south-western wing has been used as stables and for storage. The end block, which early plans suggest was in use as a slaughter house and fasting house originally, has been converted into domestic accommodation, probably in the 19th century. A large kitchen has a coved ceiling with a recess containing a laundry rack, a chimneybreast with a modern timber fire surround and stove, and a built-in cupboard and shelving. A plank and batten door leads through into a wide hallway with a very high ceiling with a steep stair flight off to the north-east side leading up to the first floor, and doorways off to each side with six-panel doors and six-light overlights leading in to two rooms; that to the south-west side is larger with a chimneybreast and modern fireplace and stove. The first floor has been modernised and has a mixture of doors, including six-panel, plank and batten, and mid-20th-century four-panel doors that suggest phased alterations or re-use.

South-West Range

The south-west range is approximately 202 feet long and single storey in height. The north-western half of the range has replaced concrete-tile roof coverings, whilst the remainder retains its original slate coverings. The range has a series of blind arches to the north-east and south-west elevations and the south-east end (some incorporating original doorways), along with boarded doors and windows to the north-east side. The rear south-west elevation is partly hidden by heavily overgrown vegetation, but it can be seen that arches at the south-eastern end, which were originally open for use as a cart shed, have modern breezeblock infill and inserted extractors. At the range's north-western end where it adjoins the north-west range is a covered cartway providing access into the farm's internal courtyard, with a segmental-arched opening on the north-east side and an altered opening on the north-west side with a girder lintel; both openings have modern boarded covers.

South-West Range Interior

Internally the south-west range has a king-post truss roof, which is boarded over in places, and concrete, brick and tile floors. At least one plank and batten door survives. The north-western half of the range and the former cart shed are in use as poultry houses with modern coops. A possible workshop adjacent to the former cart shed has a chimneybreast, but the corresponding chimneystack on the roof has been removed.

North-East Range

The north-east range is also single storey and is approximately 187 feet long due to the loss of a covered cartway section adjoining the north-west range, which was removed to provide greater access into the internal courtyard (the ghost marks of its pitched roof can be observed on the north-west range). The range has replaced concrete-tile roof coverings and on the north-east side are a series of mainly blind arches, some of which towards the south-east end contain windows. At the far south-east end of the north-east elevation are arched openings with later timber doors that originally served a cart shed, now a garage. To the south-west yard-facing elevation are mainly doorways and windows, with a series of blind brick arches to the south-eastern third. On the roof is a later or rebuilt short ridge stack.

North-East Range Interior

Internally the north-east range also has a king-post truss roof, which is boarded over in places. At the north-west end of the range is a cow byre with a concrete floor and slurry channel. The rest of the range is largely former stables and storage areas, a probable former saddlery with a chimneybreast and fireplace opening, a workshop or smithy with a truncated corner chimneybreast and fireplace opening, and a former cart shed, which is now in use as a garage.

Central Courtyard Range

This largely demolished and heavily altered range is not of special interest and is excluded from the listing.