Home Farmhouse

Home Farmhouse, Sandford

Farmhouse, now house. Dating from the 15th century and extensively remodelled in the late 17th century, with later additions and alterations. The original timber-framed building of cruck construction was largely rebuilt in 17th-century red brick in mixed bond, with slate roofs. The original open-hall house was remodelled in the late 17th century to form the present U-plan with a centre gable projecting to the rear.

The building is of 2 storeys and attics, arranged in a 1:2:1 bay pattern. It features a continuous toothed band to the first floor and plain floor bands to the attics, carried up around gables which have dentilled bands to the apex above blind rectangular recesses. The gable ends have raised verges. The plinth is chamfered sandstone.

The main elevation has glazing bar sashes to the first floor of the gables and to the centre of the main range, above a 6-panel door in a plain pilastered 19th-century doorcase with panelled reveals and flat hood. Glazing bar sashes of 16 panes flank this to left and right. The left gable at ground floor has a segmental-headed 3-light leaded casement window, while the right gable has a 4-paned sash. A prominent external end stack on the right carries the bands upward; it has an infilled 2-light wooden mullion window to the left on the first floor, with a similar window below to the cellar. A small stack was rebuilt in the late 20th century to the front corner of the left gable. A gabled range at right-angles to the rear has a ridge stack in two sections with a dentilled band and crow-stepping to the gable. A small 3-light wooden mullioned and transomed window appears in the wall to the right.

Interior: The main ground-floor room contains 2 chamfered spine beams with ogee stops and one chamfered cross beam, with heavy joists bearing run-out stops. A square panelled timber-framed cross wall stands to the right. The back wall has a fireplace with a moulded cambered lintel and a plank door to its left. Part of a cruck blade is exposed to the front corner of the left cross wall, which has a 17th-century panelled door leading to the left room. This room has a deep-chamfered cross beam and joists with straight cut stops. A ceiling beam to the front marks the position of the original front wall. A square panelled timber-framed partition (infill removed) has a chamfered ceiling beam at right-angles behind, with mortice holes for another partition beneath; heavy joists stand to either side. Part of a cruck blade is visible to the back corner of the cross wall. The right gable has a chamfered cross beam, with a cellar beneath featuring a cobbled floor and a timber frame in the wall above. The rear gable (kitchen) has a large inglenook fireplace with a segmental wooden lintel and 2 chamfered spine beams, the right bearing stave-holes for a former partition beneath.

The first floor: A large cruck truss with collar, supported by a probably reused jowled wall post, is visible in the cross wall between the left gable and main range. An attic floor inserted through the cruck has 2 deep-chamfered beams with heavy joists to the left gable. The main room is divided into 2 by a partition wall forming a corridor of full length to the range, with segmental-headed doorways (with plank doors to the left gable) at each end. Two deep-chamfered spine beams and a square panelled timber-framed wall to the left indicate that there must be a space between this and the cruck truss. A large stepped stack is visible to the rear of this range and also in the rear gable. A Victorian cast-iron fireplace stands in the room to the right gable.

The apex of the cruck truss is visible in the attic with wattle and daub infill to the panels, indicating that this was originally a closed truss, possibly the spere truss. Trenched single purlins with curved braces rise from the upper collar. Remains of an open hearth were discovered during restoration work around 1980.