Snodhill Court Farmhouse

Snodhill Court Farmhouse is a farmhouse, probably dating from the early 17th century, with extensive remodelling in 1665 and later alterations. It is constructed of rubble with sandstone dressings and a stone slate roof. The building follows an H-plan, with a north/south aligned central section (a floored hall), a south crosswing built in 1665, a north crosswing likely from the early 17th century, also remodelled in 1665, and a late 17th-century westward extension. A further single-story wing was added later, extending from this addition to the south, providing service accommodation parallel to the hall. Stacks are located on the east wall of the south crosswing, the west wall of the hall, and the south wall of the service wing. A blocked stack exists at the east end of the north wall, alongside an adjoining spiral staircase; the main staircase is situated in the south-east corner of the hall.

The east front displays a balanced facade, with two full gabled dormers lighting the attic over the hall range. These dormers contain 20th-century two-light metal casements on the left and a three-light wooden casement on the right, both with square labels. A central boxed sash window is present on the first floor. To the left, a 17th-century three-light casement with ovolo mullions illuminates the staircase; to the right on the ground floor is a 19th-century three-segmental-headed light casement with a square label. The central entrance features a flat head and a flat canopy supported on stone brackets. The door is battened and nail-studded, with ornamental strap hinges, and the head is adorned with two semi-circular arches cut into an applied board.

The south crosswing includes a cellar; the central stack has two diamond brick shafts. The first floor has a 20th-century casement to the left and a 17th-century two-light casement with ovolo mullions to the right, both with square labels. A blocked window is visible on the ground floor to the right. The north crosswing has a 20th-century two-light casement in the attic, and three-light casements on both the first and ground floors.

Inside, the late 17th-century staircase has an open well, turned balusters, a moulded string and handrail, and square newels with moulded pendants. The hall features ovolo-moulded ceiling beams supported by decorative stone brackets. Many of the internal doors date from the late 17th century, incorporating strap hinges and applied mouldings, exemplified by two doors on the south wall of the hall within moulded frames. Some stud-and-plank partitions remain upstairs at the stairhead, largely reset in the 19th and 20th centuries. Dated quoins on the south-west and north-east corners of the south wing read “WP/ 1665”, identifying William Prosser, a London coachmaker who purchased the estate around 1655 and died in the house in 1674. The farmhouse is an excellent example of a late 17th-century house, characterized by a high degree of original fittings.