Manor Farmhouse

Farmhouse. Late 16th century, with alterations and additions in the 18th century, incorporating substantial remains of a 15th-century Manor House of the Babington family. The building is constructed of massive ashlar gritstone, rising in part from a shallow plinth, with coursed rubble to alterations and later additions. It has plain gables, intermediate and gable stacks (two of brick and one of ashlar), and a massive stepped external stone stack to the rear elevation. The roofs are stone slated. The farmhouse follows an irregular ‘U’ plan, with later or refashioned crosswings advanced from the central range. It is two storeys high, with six bays and irregular fenestration. On the ground floor of the central range are openings in massive ashlar. Two doorways have chamfered quoins and lintels; one is now blocked to form a window, while the other has a planked stable door. The current principal doorway has a six-panelled door at the south-west end of the central range. Between the doorways are four tall, narrow lights, one to the south-west end with a pointed arched head. The north-east crosswing has stacked 19th-century two-light chamfer mullioned windows flanking a central doorway with a planked stable door on its south-west wall. The south-west wing has two 17th-century single-light openings with chamfered surrounds, one now blocked, and above, two 18th-century openings with flush surrounds to the north-east wall. The rear elevation features a massive external stack with quoins and corbels set into the masonry below a massive drip. Below the corbels is a stone slated lean-to with a doorway inserted on its north-east end. There is a former three-light recessed chamfer mullioned window at the south-west end of the main range, and a blocked 17th-century opening above. The rear gable to the crosswing at the north-east end is set back and partially overlapped by the main range. It has single-light openings with ovolo moulded surrounds below hoodmoulds with stop-chamfered spine beams with run-out stops to both ground and first floors, and a roundel in an octagonal surround to the gable apex. The north-east side wall is buttressed and incorporates two substantial corbels. The interior central range contains a triple arched hearth range; the central arch is wider than the two flanking openings, and the arches are unmoulded but out of proportion to the present house. The spine beam and joists are substantial and appear to pre-date the external fabric. The four-bay roof of the main range is of double purlin construction with curved wind braces and tie beam trusses that are closed with studwork; one truss is arch braced. Historically, the Manor House of the Babington family stood near the site. Anthony Babington, leader of the Babington plot to restore Mary Queen of Scots to the throne, lived here and was executed in 1586. The farmhouse served as the model for Thackers Farm in Alison Uttley's novel 'A Traveller in Time'.