Ermine House

Ermine House is a small country house built in the 17th century, with significant remodelling in the early 18th century, possibly by William Sands the Younger. An iron gutter dated 1710 remains on the building. The structure is made of coursed limestone rubble with brick quoins, a first-floor band, and ashlar dressings. It features a plain tiled roof with a plain parapet, topped by a peaked pediment with a central acorn finial, stone-coped gables with finials at the bases, and two moulded gable stacks.

The house has parallel ranges and a two-storey, five-bay front with cellars. The central entrance consists of a half-glazed door with a traceried overlight, flanked by engaged Tuscan columns that support a moulded pediment. On either side of the door are pairs of windows with plain ashlar frames. The first floor has five similar windows, all of which are glazing bar sashes. To the right, there is a gabled single-storey wing, with parts of the rear dating back to the 17th century.

Inside, the house features a fine early 18th-century staircase that reaches full height, with delicate turned balusters and ramped handrails at the angles. The back stair has an unusual openwork balustrade in the Chinese style. In the dining room, there is a cupboard with a moulded surround, a keystone, a pulvinated frieze, and a pediment, along with an early 19th-century fireplace and dado panelling. The first-floor chamber on the right includes a stone fireplace with a panelled surround and a fluted keystone, as well as a cupboard with a dentillated frieze. A section of early 18th-century wallpaper remains in situ on the north wall of the master bedroom. Additionally, frescoes in the sitting room, dining room, library, master bedroom, and second bedroom were created by Russian artists in 2012. The rear range has a late 17th-century staggered butt purlin softwood roof.