Quoit Green House

House. Early 17th century, dated 1613, and incorporating elements of an earlier building, with remodelling in the late 18th century and further alterations and extensions in the 20th century. Constructed from coursed rubble Coal Measures sandstone, with evenly coursed squared stone to the remodelled south elevation, which also features ashlar quoins. The principal roof is covered in concrete tiles; the secondary lower roof is covered in Welsh slate and stone slate with hessian and pitch covering. There is a single ridge stone stack with moulded capping. The building is L-shaped, with a principal range running east-west and a lower range extending northwards from the north side wall at the east end.

The north elevation rises to two storeys and attics, with two bays. The lower range to the east bay has a brick stack to the gable. A doorway to the west side has a 20th century half glazed door, and to the east is a 20th century bow window. Two first floor openings have 20th century joinery. A 20th century lean-to stands to the west of the lower range, incorporating 20th century garage doors. At the junction of lower and main ranges, at first floor level, is a two light two pane casement window beneath a shallow timber lintel with soffit diamond-shaped mortices for mullions now removed, but formerly forming a shallow four light mullioned window.

The south elevation has late 19th or early 20th century tall three light mullioned windows in flush frames, mostly with 20th century two pane lights. The east gable features an eight over eight pane glazing bar sash window to the ground floor, with a doorway to the north having a massive flush frame and lintel and a 20th century half glazed door. A two over two pane sash window lights the first floor, and the shadow of a blocked window is visible to the gable apex. A datestone within the apex reads 1613.

Interior: The ground floor follows a two cell plan with probable central lobby entrance, now obscured by remodelling of the south elevation and loss of the central doorway against the stack to the south side wall. The east room has a ceiling divided into six full panels and three half panels by deeply moulded intersecting spine beams, with similarly embellished joists. The half panels are against the north side wall. A central hearth sits below a plain bressumer, itself below an inserted fascia beam that is deeply moulded and brattished, with the soffit cut away to the centre. This is supported by and joined to inserted posts; the bressumer extends beyond these the full width of the room. A staircase stands to the north side of the hearth. Within the hearth are the remains of a 17th century or earlier smoke hood, with riven oak laths and daub infill above the frame of the hood, which extends into the first floor room and is expressed in outline on the attic dividing wall. The smaller ground floor room to the west has a 20th century hearth and a 17th century spine beam with joists matching those to the main room to the east side of the beam.

The attic storey has a blocked window to the east gable retaining diagonally-set oak mullions. The roof is a single purlin roof with curved windbraces and ridge purlin carried on a notched apex to collar and tie beam trusses.

Historical context: Quoit Green House was occupied by Thomas and Elizabeth Calton before 1613 and for a century afterwards. The interior timbering of the ground floor may represent the extensive remodelling of a high status house, or the incorporation into a remodelled structure of elements of a demolished building. Such deeply undercut timbering is not typical of North Derbyshire houses of the 17th century.