Willow Fields

Willow Fields

Former farm buildings of 17th-century date with 19th-century and late 20th-century alterations, additions and conversion to residential use.

Materials and Construction

The buildings are constructed of oak timber framing with brick and wattle infill, brick replacement walling and some weatherboarding and render. The roofs are covered in tile.

Plan and Layout

The complex is cruciform in plan, formed by a six-bay former barn on a north-west by south-east axis with two-bay additions to both sides: a former granary range to the north and an addition to the south, on the footprint of a former cowhouse. There is a small lean-to to the south-west end of the barn.

Exterior

The principal entrance is to a full-height glazed bay on the north-west flank of the barn, with timber panelling also to the south-east elevation. Two framed bays of the former barn lie to the left and the projecting former brick-faced granary to the right. The framed bays have red brick panels, some with sealed ventilators in a diamond pattern, others with replacement late 20th-century brick and four upper panels are glazed. To the ground floor left are garage double doors and there are steel tie ends to the bressumer. The former granary to the right of the main entrance has substantial brick piers to the ground floor, which have been infilled in brick in the late 20th century. The framed first floor has long braces and brick panels that are cement-rendered to each elevation, under a deep hipped roof. Alongside the south-west elevation of the former granary is a rebuilt lobby porch with door facing north, built against the south end of the former barn with a catslide continuing the slope of the barn roof behind it. To its right the end bay of the barn has full-height glazing and timber panelling. The south-west end of the building has been substantially rebuilt on a brick plinth with damp-proof course and there is a rebuilt lean-to shelter against the end wall.

Attached to the south is the former cowhouse rebuilt as two-bay accommodation faced in reused brick to the ground floor and with weatherboarding under a steeply-pitched roof to the south-west elevation. The north-east elevation has a framed first-floor with rendered panels. The south-west elevation of the north-east end of the former barn is glazed to the left and the framed bays to the right have weatherboarding and brick panels to the ground floor and plaster to the first floor. The end wall is framed with a queen strut truss and there are two former door openings to the ground floor, sealed in brick. Some sections of stone cills survive to the north corner of the building.

Interior

The main entrance leads into a stone-flagged hallway with inserted timber stair and gallery. At upper level are exposed raking strut trusses to the former barn, which have cambered tie beams and jowled posts with assembly marks. The truss to the north wall is closed with modern infill and a door to the garage/workshop area. It has long straight braces and a central post supporting the tie beam, in the same arrangement as the truss to the garage. The wall separating the house from the garage has been lined in concrete block. The pegged framing and roof within the garage is exposed to show double trenched purlins and ridge piece with 20th-century secondary timbers and a further 20th-century purlin. The end truss has three posts to the tie beams and a collar with V struts. At upper level the south wall has exposed lathes, some of which are covered in traditional plaster. Some elements of the timber frame retain bark to facing edges. The floors are covered in poured concrete.

The open truss to the south side of the entrance hallway has a modern post supporting the tie beam from the gallery landing. At ground-floor level is an inserted room with oak framed walls and to its rear a brick inglenook fireplace and ceiling has been inserted to a living room. The ground floor opens into the former cowhouse to the south, which has exposed reused 17th-century beams. To the north, the ground floor of the former granary has been enclosed in brick and adapted to a kitchen with exposed first-floor structures with stop-chamfered beams that have some evidence of rearrangement and scorching from the former agricultural use of the building.

To the first floor, the trusses have assembly marks and there are adapted and replaced timbers, notably to the rear of the building, as well as inserted bathrooms to the side of the gallery landing. The north barn wall has been partly opened up to the first floor of the former granary. The timber framing of the former granary is mostly exposed and the studs to the two trusses are numbered. There is timber bracing to the corners under the roof hips, and some timbers are 20th-century replacements. There are 20th-century room divisions. The exterior of the barn framing on the south wall is exposed to a first-floor bedroom, and there are visible assembly marks.