The Ashes

The Ashes is a farmhouse dating from the 17th century, with some alterations made in the early 18th century. It is built from coursed squared and dressed stone of ashlar quality and features a tiled roof with verge parapets and pitched copings. The building has stone side stacks and a large stack at the rear with twin diagonally-set shafts.

The farmhouse has an H-plan typical of 17th-century designs, accessed through the parlour wing with a farm entry on the side of the cross-wing. It stands two storeys high, with an attic and cellar, and has two projecting gables flanking a central recess. The left gable is a finer 17th-century feature, with a deep plinth and cavetto strings at the floor levels. It includes a labelled 3-light chamfered mullioned window in the attic above five-light mullioned and transomed windows on the ground and first floors, along with a small 3-light mullioned window visible in the cellar.

The right-hand wing was refaced in the early 18th century and has block mullioned four-light windows on both the ground and first floors. The entrance is located on the left side, featuring a Tuscan doorcase with a cornice topped by ball finials on diamond-panel pedestals, leading to a boarded door. The central recess has also been refaced in the 18th century, showcasing 3-light block mullioned windows, with the first-floor window placed centrally and the ground-floor window offset to the left.

The rear elevation retains a complete 17th-century front, with the south wing having two windows on each floor, with transomed and mullioned windows on the ground floor and five mullioned windows above. The north side elevation is also a complete 17th-century design, featuring a boarded door leading into the yard. The side entry into the cross-wing is a common feature in parlour-oriented 17th-century houses in this area, where the hall entry became less important and is non-existent in this case. The house is part of a well-preserved group of 17th and 18th-century buildings. The interior has not been inspected but is likely to be of interest.