Wishfields Farmhouse

Wishfields Farmhouse is a house of late 16th century origin, with later alterations in the early 19th century and the 20th century. The construction is a combination of timber framing, weatherboarding, and brick, with peg-tiled and slate roofs. The house comprises two ranges set at right angles; one timber range oriented north-south, and a brick range oriented east-west. A 20th-century brick outshut is located to the west of the timber range, and a 20th-century ground-floor extension adjoins the outshut to the north.

The west front of the timber range features four irregular 20th-century wooden casement windows and a 20th-century boarded door. It has a deep catslide roof tiled with pegs, and a stack dating to approximately 1800 at the north end. The south-facing gable of the brick range is constructed with red bricks in a Flemish bond pattern and has single windows on both the ground and first floors. The windows are 20th-century replacements with simple horns, glazing bars, and 4x4 panes, with segment-headed soffits. A low-pitched slate-covered gable completes the brick range. Principal and minor stacks, both dating to the early 19th century, are located at the junction of the blocks and on the north side of the brick section, respectively. The south elevation is brick-built and symmetrical, with a three-window arrangement; the upper windows have flat heads, while the lower windows are segment-headed. All windows are 20th-century sashes with 4x4 panes, except for the central ground-floor window, which is a 3-light wooden casement with 2x3 panes in each light, replacing the original front door. An original doorstep remains. The rear east elevation has a brick-faced gable with a 20th-century ground-floor bay window with a hipped roof covered in machine-made tiles, and 4-light wooden casements with 2x3 panes in each light. The first floor features 3-light wooden casements with 2x4 panes in each light. The north side of the timber range is weatherboarded with a 20th-century French door and simple 4x3-light casement windows. A set-back 20th-century extension to the north has a 3-light casement window with 2x3 panes in each light.

The interior reveals three distinct building phases. The north timber-framed block, comprised of two bays, exhibits early primary bracing, edge halved and bridled scarf joints in the wall plate, and internal corner bracing on the first floor. The ground floor is a single large room with a shutter groove and evidence of a window in the south end, and ceiling joists which are likely later replacements. The joists in the north bay are original, featuring some diminished haunched soffit tenons. The first floor is partitioned into two sections using heavy primary bracing and bears carpenter's assembly marks. A tie-beam has a slight camber, and the roof side purlin includes clasping collars and curved wind braces. A partition extends to the central collar. A shutter groove indicates a window in the south gable end, corresponding to the window below. The exterior face of the south gable end is weathered and displays a base of a red-brick chimney stack built over the site of a window, likely dating to the late 17th century. The second phase, a brick unit to the south, includes a central stair and hallway accessed from the front. An additional 19th-century stack serves the rooms to the west of the hallway. The interior of this phase is plain, with fireplaces now masked. The third phase involves a 20th-century brick outshut to the west of the timber range and the realignment of the entry to the west side, in addition to a 20th-century north extension.