Old Hill Farmhouse

Old Hill Farmhouse, dating from the late 16th century, has undergone alterations and additions over time. It is predominantly timber-framed with painted brick infill, with areas of brick replacement walling and refacing. The roof is tiled, and there are two external chimney stacks made of sandstone rubble, featuring paired diagonal brick shafts facing west and north, and three diagonal brick shafts to the east of the main ridge. The farmhouse has a hall and a cross-wing, each composed of three framed bays; the original passage between them has been blocked by the insertion of a fireplace. A single framed bay has been added to the north elevation of the hall, forming an angle with the service wing. The building has two storeys, an attic, and a cellar beneath the parlour wing. The timber framing consists mostly of square panels, four from sill to wall plate. Upper corners of the cross-wings have short, straight bracing; the side and north elevations have some long straight braces. The additional north bay has long diagonal braces in the lower corners of the upper and lower two rows of framed panels. Trusses have double collars with four struts to the lower collar and two above the upper collar, visible in the gable ends. The main elevation shows framing primarily at first-floor level. The central bay of the main range features a ground-floor casement with a cambered head, a first-floor casement, and an entrance in the left bay, which is sheltered by a catslide roof supported on a timber upright, with a half-glazed door. The gable end of the left cross-wing has two ground-floor glazing bar sashes, a first-floor casement, and an attic light. The gable end of the right cross-wing features a ground- and first-floor casement, an attic light, and a multi-paned door to the right of the ground-floor window. A more recent entrance is found on the west side elevation, featuring a lean-to porch and a 20th-century timber door. An entrance on the north elevation is of particular interest, as it aligns with the former passage and is approached beneath the jettied first floor of the added north bay, supported to the left by a large carved bracket. The north elevation also has a first-floor wood mullioned window on the east side of the projecting parlour wing. Internally, the roof has exposed trusses, typically of double purlin construction. The main beams are stop-chamfered; the south side of the service bay has a cross-beamed ceiling, as does the parlour, which features parallel plaster mouldings, and the beams are double-moulded, with the mouldings stopped by a tongue.