Puddleford Farmhouse And Adjoining Cider House And Hop Kilns

Puddleford Farmhouse and the adjoining cider house and hop kilns, now converted into two dwellings, date back to around 1600, with alterations and additions made in the mid-19th century and mid-20th century. The buildings are timber-framed with brick infill, replacement walling, and plain tiled roofs. The farmhouse has a T-plan layout, consisting of three framed bays aligned east to west, with a single-bay wing at the rear center to the west, which includes a timber-framed lean-to. The main part features a central chimney with four star-shaped stacks, creating a lobby entrance with a porch wing. The structure is two storeys high with an attic.

The framing includes two rows of closely spaced studs at the ground floor and three rows of square panels at the first floor. The roof structure consists of collar and tie-beam trusses with two collars, six struts supporting the lower collar, and two struts for the upper collar, along with raking struts on the sides and a V-strut at the apex. The porch wing has a jettied first floor, a moulded bressummer supported by shaped brackets, and coved sides. The roof truss above the porch features two collars and decorative raking struts beneath the lower collar.

On the south front elevation, there are one 2-light and two 3-light casements at ground floor level (one with a cambered head), and a 3-light and a 2-light casement on the first floor. The porch contains a 2-light first floor casement, an attic light, and a moulded square-headed entrance arch with a 17th-century door. Although the interior was not inspected, it is noted to have back-to-back fireplaces.

Adjoining to the west is a timber-framed two-bay, two-storey wing, likely a former cider house. This wing has four panels from the sill to the wall-plate and a tie-beam truss with latticed struts in its gable end. The front elevation features four ground-floor windows and five first-floor windows, all of which are 2-light casements. The two hop kilns are located at the rear of the wing, having a square plan with slate pyramidal roofs and inserted 20th-century casements.