Manor Farm House

Manor Farm House, Barkway Church Lane, Barkway

Large house with a 16th century core, extended and partly rebuilt in the mid and late 17th century. Late 19th century additions and alterations were followed by restoration around 1900 by W.J. Parker. The core contains some timber framing, rendered, with the remainder largely in red brick laid in early English bond with rendered dressings, and later Flemish bond with stone dressings. Tiled roofs. The plan is complex, with a timber framed core that may originally have formed a cross wing of a hall house. The wing was enlarged and the hall range rebuilt in the 17th century. 19th century additions created a roughly squarish block of three storeys.

The entrance elevation consists of three bays. To the right is a gable-fronted bay dating from the mid-17th century, which was a forward addition to the original cross wing. This bay has large 5-light mullioned windows with lattice lights, inner and outer ovolo mouldings and hood moulds. The ground floor windows are taller with 4-centred arched heads; the second floor windows are larger and transomed. The gable is curvilinear in shape with an ogee head. Originally external to this block, but now positioned across the ridge of the 19th century addition to the left, is a large rebuilt stack with four separate octagonal shafts, moulded bases and conjoined star capping. The 19th century bays to the left are of darker brick with flared headers and have a straight joint to the earlier work.

The central entrance has a 6-panelled door with a leaded fanlight and cross casement to the right, all under a hood mould. Ground floor windows to the left and first floor windows are 3-light square-headed leaded casements with moulded surrounds and hood moulds. Oversailing brick courses mark the eaves. The left gable end features a large two-storey canted bay window dating from around 1900, with 2:3:2 leaded lights, a ground floor transom, quoins and a coped parapet. A 4-light attic window sits below a shaped gable copying that of the 17th century.

The right return of the cross wing displays one bay of 17th century brick with a plinth. The ground floor has a small early 19th century canted bay window with 8:12:8 pane sashes. The first floor has a blocked opening with traces of moulding and a later 2-light casement. Further towards the rear is part of the earlier cross wing, rendered. A ridge stack replaces an earlier external stack at the junction of two builds. The ground floor has an 8-light mullion and transom leaded casement; the first floor has a 5-light lattice casement; the second floor has a 6-light mullion and transom leaded half box dormer. A 20th century extruded stack and a single-storey late 19th century red brick kitchen and dairy outshut project from the rear bay. This outshut has 3-light lattice casements, a gable to the front, an entrance and a hipped roof to the rear.

The rear gable end of the cross wing is faced in 19th century red brick, part colour-washed, with 1, 2 and 3-light casements recessed with cambered heads. Set back from the cross wing is the rebuilt hall range, rendered with 3-light flush frame leaded casements on the first and second floors. The ground floor has a brick outshut with an entrance. The inner entrance is in the original through passage position and has splayed jambs. A large 17th century external stack of four detached octagonal shafts with moulded bases and rebuilt capping stands further right. Beyond this is a small red brick addition with a two-storey lean-to to the rear containing 3-light casements.

The left return elevation behind the canted bay has 3-light leaded casements in stone surrounds, a hipped roof and a stack in the valley.

The interior contains 17th century panelling in the gabled wing. Two moulded stone depressed 4-centred arched fireplaces survive, one with corbelling and one with carved spandrels and stop-chamfered bearers.