The Porch House

The Porch House

A cottage of 17th-century or earlier date, located in a prominent roadside position adjacent to the village church in Aymestrey. The building comprises a timber frame structure, now encased within later roughly coursed freestone painted facades, with a grey slate roof and an exterior rubble chimney stack to the rear.

Plan and Layout

The building is arranged as one-and-a-half storeys on a single-cell plan, with two principal rooms aligned north to south. The entrance is positioned asymmetrically towards the south of the western facade and gives access into the main living room, which was heated by a fireplace located in the middle of the eastern wall. Although the external location of this lateral chimney stack suggests a later, possibly 18th-century addition, the dwelling may predate the common occurrence of fireplaces in smaller domestic dwellings. A doorway to the north opens into the second room, which contains a simple winder staircase in the southwest angle. The rear exit is in the centre of the eastern wall and gives access to more recent kitchen and utility rooms. A timber-framed partition across the northern end of the second room provides access to two small pantries, the westernmost of which has a doorway to an extension.

On the first floor are three principal rooms. The staircase gives access to the northern room, which contains a small modern bathroom and airing cupboard in the northeast angle and single four-light casements in the east and west walls. To the south is the principal chamber, with a four-light casement in the west wall. The third chamber, also to the south, contains a small cast-iron Victorian fireplace in the south wall and a four-light casement in the west wall. In the southwest angle, a change in the thickness of the wall masonry indicates the truncation of the original extent of this room when the single-storey extension was added.

Timber Framing and Structure

Although much of the timber framing is concealed behind more recent plasterwork or wallpaper, sufficient principal structure remains visible to determine that the building is constructed from massive timbers, with evidence of reuse from an earlier structure. The timber framing is box-framed and set upon a low rubble wall. In both principal ground-floor chambers, chamfered ceiling beams with stepped stops survive. The majority of the cill beams, corner posts, wall plate, box-frame studs, floor joists, bridging beams and internal partitions can be located throughout the building. The doors are early braced plank doors throughout.

Within the roof space, two original trusses are preserved in the gables, and much of the remaining timber was reused in the reconstructed roof after it was raised in the 18th or early 19th century, with the addition of later rafters to support the grey slate roof. The roof structure comprises collar beams with angle struts, trenched purlins and a halfed apex.

Elevations and Exterior

The western elevation is white-painted roughly coursed freestone, with a planked timber door located towards the south, beneath an open timber and slate porch with fretwork bargeboards and internal benches. There is a four-light casement to the right and two four-light casements to the left of the door. On the first floor are three four-light casements. To the far left is a single-storey lean-to extension, and to the far right is a single-storey gabled extension with a square opening fitted with timber plank shutters partially infilled with concrete blocks, and a pair of timber plank garage doors.

The north and south elevations are white-painted roughly coursed freestone with some later concrete block and brick repairs. The rear elevation has a modern single-storey lean-to extension which masks the full extent of an extremely wide external chimney stack constructed to eaves height in roughly coursed freestone, with a more recent brick extension to ridge height. On the first floor are two four-light timber casements to the right of the chimney.

Extensions and Associated Features

Minor single-storey extensions on the north, east and south were constructed at a later date. The southern extension formerly housed the village smithy or forge, and although it does not retain interior evidence for its former use, it is constructed partly from timber box frame upon a low freestone wall and retains some historic significance. Those to the rear or east are more recent and of low historical significance.

To the front of the Porch House is a low wall with curved stone capping and plain wrought iron railings, which also contributes to the village street scene.

Historical Context

No formal history has been found, but architectural evidence suggests that the building was constructed in the 17th century. At a later date, the building underwent additions and alterations, including the raising and slating of the roof and refacing the walls in stone. Later single-storey extensions were added to the south, north and east elevations. These later works did not substantially alter the earlier timber frame, which survives largely intact.