Swanbrook Farmhouse with adjacent stable

Farmhouse thought to date from the C17, with work in the C18, C19 and C20, and an associated stable.

MATERIALS: the house is timber framed with a brick frontage and a tile roof. The stable is of brick with a tile roof.

PLAN: the house is roughly L-plan with its main range aligned east-west. The stable stands to the south-west of the house.

EXTERIOR: the front of the house is of brick laid in English Garden Wall bond with casement windows and an off-centre door under a modern porch, with a further blocked doorway between the two right bays. Windows and doors are modern, and the eaves course above the brick dentil course has been replaced. There is a base course of blue lias limestone. There are tall chimneys at each end.

To the rear is an external stack also with lower course of stone, and a lean-to verandah wraps around the rear of the property. There are modern French doors, and two dormer windows either side of the chimney. The cross wing has exposed timber framing with brick infil in its eastern wall. Some timbers have carpenters' marks. The gable end of the cross wing is brick with a modern bow window at ground floor and window under segmental head above.

There is a lean-to extension to the western side with catslide roof.

INTERIOR: the principal range contains a large central room with two large timber beams which are chamfered and stopped. The fireplace has a bressumer re-used from elsewhere. A modern stair gives access to the upper floor which retains timber floorboards and exposed timbers throughout.

The cross wing has further exposed timbers and a secondary stair.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: the stable to the south-west has three lunette windows and elevations of English Garden Wall bond with queen closers to the end of each wall. The central window was originally a door. There are doors at each end with segmental heads and a taking-in door at first-floor level in the south gable end.