Penkhull Farmhouse

Penkhull Farmhouse is a farmhouse built in the late 18th century, with some alterations and extensions made in the mid 19th century. The structure is made of brick and has a cement render that mimics ashlar block on the front and rear wing. It features gabled plain tile roofs, with rendered end stacks on the front and a brick stack at the junction of the rear wings. The building has a T-shaped plan, with a rear wing that includes a lean-to on its east side and a mid 19th-century block extending at right angles to the west.

The farmhouse is two storeys high and has a four-window south front. This front includes lintels above a half-glazed mid 19th-century panelled door and horned glazing bar sashes, with three-over-six sashes on the first floor and six-over-six below. There is also a mid 19th-century canted bay window on the right with similar sashes. The rear features late 19th-century and 20th-century timber casements, except for the east elevation which has a three-over-six pane sash, and a gable end of the rear cross wing that has a stepped lintel over a small-paned timber casement.

Inside, the interior has seen little alteration since the 19th century. It includes late 18th-century moulded cornicing and joinery, with panelled doors and shutters set in moulded architraves featuring original fitments. The simple classical fireplaces have late 18th-century and mid 19th-century cast iron grates, with the parlour fireplace featuring a mid 19th-century overmantle mirror. There is a panelled earth closet and a stairhall with an elliptical arch on moulded brackets, leading to a fine staircase with stick balusters, an open-string design, and a wreathed handrail.

Historically, the house likely dates from shortly after 1780 when Josiah Spode II leased the farm. It changed ownership in 1830 when farm stock was sold to John Smith and was purchased by John Pilkington in 1855.