Dronfield Woodhouse Hall Farmhouse And Attached Boundary Walls

Dronfield Woodhouse Hall Farmhouse and Attached Boundary Walls

A house of late 16th-century origin, substantially remodelled in the early 18th century with further alterations in the 19th and 20th centuries. The building is constructed of coursed squared coal measures sandstone rising from a shallow plinth, with ashlar gable and ridge stacks, coped gables featuring moulded kneelers, and a stone slated roof.

The plan is irregular, with a central lobby entrance onto the main central stack. The building comprises a central range with gabled ranges at either end, the south-west end being advanced. The structure rises to two storeys with attics in places, arranged across five bays.

Two doorways access the central range. The north-east doorway is the earlier of the two, featuring a quoined surround and massive lintel. The south-west doorway sits within a 17th-century offshut or bay of stone, now partially rendered. To the right of this doorway are two single lights, one pointed, with a flat-headed opening above. A third doorway with quoined surround and a 20th-century half-glazed door is located on the north-east wall of the south-west wing.

The gable of the north-east wing displays two 2-light recessed chamfer mullioned windows below dripmoulds on the ground floor, a 3-light window to the first floor, and a small blocked light to the apex. The advanced gable features stacked 4-light chamfer mullioned windows at ground and first floor levels, with a former 3-light window to the attic now containing a single mullion repositioned to the centre. An inserted 2-light window with flush surround and chamfer mullion stands to the left of the ground floor window.

The rear elevation includes a gabled range at the south-west end, remodelled in the early 18th century across two bays with stacked 2-light flush mullioned windows featuring transoms. The heads are linked by continuous bands, and a 2-light mullioned window lights the attic. The central range comprises two bays with tall 19th-century windows beneath plain lintels flanking a 17th-century doorway with massive chamfered lintel and quoined surround, now fitted with a 20th-century planked door. The gable range to the north-east end displays stacked 4-light chamfer mullioned windows and a 2-light 17th-century mullioned window to the left lighting the stair landing. A blocked and mutilated 17th-century single-light window to the right is now obscured by a 20th-century 2-light inserted window.

Attached boundary walls enclose the rear garden, constructed with an outer skin of coursed sandstone and inner skin of brick. The south-east wall features a doorway to its centre with ashlar quoining and projecting keyblock to a flat head, now blocked. A second doorway towards the north-west end has a quoined surround and a four-panel door.

Interior

A single cruck truss spans the central range. An 18th-century plaster ceiling to the ground floor room features a central inset panel, formerly decorated with circular embellishment at its centre, the inset panel defined by modillions. The wall panelling to this room is also of plaster. A second ground floor room retains 18th-century plaster panelling and panelled doors. An 18th-century splat baluster stair features polygonal finials to the newel posts and a moulded handrail. A close-studded wall to the ground floor of the north-east range incorporates two doorways and a massive hearth with segmental stone arch. Smaller segmental-headed doorways flank either side of this hearth.