Little Sycamore, Sycamore Cottage And Sycamore House

Little Sycamore, Sycamore House and Sycamore Cottage comprise three attached dwellings located on the south side of Heath Common in Warmfield-cum-Heath. These buildings were converted mid-19th century into a single dwelling, but have since been returned to three separate dwellings.

The complex consists of a late 17th-century cottage with an early 18th-century addition to the rear (dated 1717) and another slightly later cottage added to the right, together with a coach-house to the rear. The buildings are constructed in hammer-dressed stone and orange-red brick, with stone slate roofs. All elements are two storeys high.

Little Sycamore, on the left, is a two-cell central-entry plan with a rear wing. It features quoins, a doorway with monolithic lintel, and on each floor double-chamfered mullioned windows of two wide lights (formerly of four lights). The left gable is coped with kneelers, and a brick stack rises at the rear pitch, with stone coursing through. The addition to Little Sycamore comprises two gabled ranges to the rear. The left-hand range is 18th-century brick, originally single storey with a 20th-century brick storey added above. The right-hand range is rendered stone, with a coped gable with kneelers, and features a three-light chamfered mullioned window (now blocked) with a corresponding window above. A former doorway (now blocked to a window) also has a three-light window above. The brick addition has a chamfered corner to its left return with a segmental-arched window. The stone addition's right-hand return comprises two bays to the left with an inserted doorway and former two-light double-chamfered window (both lacking mullions), with a matching window above. A single bay to the right breaks forward with quoins and former four-light windows to each floor (each lacking two mullions), with a coped gable with kneelers.

Sycamore House occupies the centre and is dated 1717. It is a two-cell central-entry plan with quoins to the right at the junction with Little Sycamore. At this junction is a blocked doorway with tie-stone jambs, a basket-arched lintel and chamfered surround. The central doorway features an overlight with architrave, frieze and cornice in a wooden trellised porch. Above is an original two-light chamfered mullioned window with slightly raised surrounds. The flanking bays have full-height early 20th-century projecting bays, each with a four-light mullioned window to every floor. The building has coped gables with kneelers and two early 20th-century brick stacks.

Sycamore Cottage, to the right, is a two-cell central-entry plan with a rear one-and-a-half storey outshut. Quoins appear to the right only. The doorway has tie-stone jambs, a flat arch and chamfered surround. Flanking windows have plain stone surrounds; those above have deeper lintels. The building features a gable stack to the right (rendered) and a brick ridge stack elsewhere.

The rear elevations show considerable variety. Sycamore Cottage's outshut has a basket-arched doorway with chamfered surround (altered to a window) to the left of a cross-window with flat-faced mullions with inner chamfer. The coach-house breaks forward under a two-span roof and has an entry with monolithic lintel in its left return, and in its right return a wide semicircular-arched doorway with a window above. The window is set forward from the doorway with tie-stone jambs and a two-light chamfered mullioned window; a mid-20th-century window has been inserted above. One gable is coped with shaped kneelers. Set back to the centre, Sycamore House has a doorway with composite jambs and lintel dated 1717 to the right of a 20th-century window with a wooden lintel and matching window above.

Interior features of Little Sycamore include a finely-carved 18th-century fireplace with architrave, pulvinated frieze carved with oak leaves and acorns, and a casement-moulded cornice with small triangular pediment. Two spine beams and floor joists are stop-chamfered with ogee stops. The addition has a brick fireplace with a low elliptical arch. A dog-leg staircase features a moulded handrail and some surviving splat balusters to the landing. The roof is oak with a large principal-rafter truss crossed at the apex as an upper cruck supporting a diamond-set ridge piece. A collar to the south gable is evidence of a former smokehood. A cellar comprises two vaulted ranges in a T-shaped plan; each range was formerly lit by a two-light double-chamfered mullioned window.

Sycamore House contains a staircase with finely-turned balusters. Underneath the landing is a long passage extending the length of the house for servants. The parlour chamber has a fireplace with stone-basket-arched lintel and carved wooden frieze and cornice.