Nine Ashes Farm House Opposite The Lane To Hunsdonbury

House. Early 19th century, incorporating part of a late 16th century brick house built by Sir Thomas Forster, extended and remodelled in an Arts and Crafts style in the later 19th century. It is a large, L-shaped, two-storey brick farmhouse facing west. A grey brick range, built in the later 19th century, has a steep gabled tiled roof with a cupola. A two-storey corridor runs to the rear under a flatter slate roof. The north range is from the early 19th century in yellow brick with a hipped slate roof. A single-storey red brick building, dating to the late 16th century, is at the east end of the north range, partly sunk into the ground, with a steep hipped slate roof and now used as a dairy. This has three-light mullioned timber windows with lattice leaded glazing and external wire grilles. The west front has an irregular, picturesque Arts and Crafts style design with five windows. Two half-timbered gables are in the centre, with projecting verges carried on shaped brackets. A large leaded casement window with a moulded cornice is on the first floor below each gable. Four-light, similar windows are on each floor to the right. Seven-light canted wooden bay windows with leaded lights and a dentilled cornice are on the ground floor below each timbered gable. A tapering square wooden cupola sits centrally above the ridge, with an ogee lead roof, arched open sides with a moulded cornice, a bell inside, and a tall tapering finial with a knob. Recessed sash windows from the earlier house are on the left, above a projecting shallow square bay with French doors, and above the entrance beside the left-hand bay window. The entrance has an open gabled tiled porch deliberately designed to appear to cut across a contemporary classical pilastered doorcase with a round-headed doorway. Turned balusters are in the sides of the porch. Inside, the panelled entrance hall has a tiled fireplace, a copper repousse fire hood, finger plates with hearts, two early copper light fittings, and original embossed strapwork ceiling covering and a foliate frieze. The dining room, also in the older north range, has an added bay window, embossed ceiling and frieze, and an oak fire surround with tall tapered uprights and a large cyma cornice. The drawing room and smoking room in the front range have similar details. The earlier brick house was built by Judge Sir Thomas Forster (whose tomb is in the church), probably remodelling an older house called Deathe. A description from 1600 mentions existing barns, stables, and a dovehouse. The property was sold to Peter Calvert in 1675 and the house was pulled down by Nicolson Calvert in the early 19th century and replaced by the present farmhouse as part of the Hunsdon House Estate. It was remodelled when part of the Bonnington's Estate, probably by Mr Baxendale. This is a large, picturesque 19th-century farmhouse of special interest, incorporating part of a 16th-century house, enlarged and altered in an Arts and Crafts style, with original interiors remaining. It is part of a historic farm group.