Lower House Farmhouse

SO 33 NW MICHAELCHURCH ESCLEY CP -

Lower House Farmhouse 2/34 -

GV II*

Farmhouse. Possibly C16 or C17, partly recast in late C19 and early C20. Thick-walled rubble, brick, slate roof, brick stack to left of centre. Two room central range with lobby entry to left, two-room cross-wing beyond chimney to left hand side, shallower but wider span right hand cross-wing. Two storeys to cross-wings; one storey and attic to centre range; 4 windows: one 2-light C19 casement to left hand side of left cross-wing, two 3-light late C19 or early C20 casements to right of entrance, one 2-light C19 case- ment to first floor of left gable, 2 early C20 casements in brick slate roofed gabled dormers to centre range, shallow 2-light window under label to right hand gable. Entrances: by early C20 ledged door under slate gabled canopy to left hand side of centre range; by high double ledged doors to right hand cross-wing under segmental-headed brick arch. Interior: flagged floors; stop-chamfered beams to the 2 principal rooms, viz that to front of left hand cross-wing and that to right of chimney in centre range; heavy closely-set ceiling joists. Framed oak window with 2 diamond section mullions and internal C18 (?) hinged shutters to left wall of rear ground floor room of left cross-wing; similar window with 4 mullions to rear wall of same room. Principal room to right of chimney has rear window of 2 rows of 4 small lights divided by deeply chamfered mullions and a transom with indications of the removal from each light of thin diamond section subsidiary mullions; C18 ledged door to rear of chimney leads to rear-lit winding newel stair with oak treads. In rear wall of right cross-wing is a blocked 5-light untransomed diamond section mullioned oak window retaining its intervening small diamond section mullions. Roof of left wing has single raking struts to each truss; purlins are set on edge to front and flat to rear. Interrupted tie-beam truss around chimney stack on first floor. Despite external frontal alterations in the last century, the building retains an extraordinary amount of detail unaltered, major roof spaces not inspected.

Listing NGR: SO3081936287