Shorts Farmhouse

Shorts Farmhouse is a timber-framed farmhouse, dating to the mid-16th century, with alterations and extensions, likely from the early 19th century. The original core comprises a hall range, a parlour cross-wing to the west, and the remains of a contemporary stair wing to the north (rear).

The hall range is timber-framed with good close-studded first-floor framing to the south, originally jettied. Exposed tie beam braces and later studding infill a former open truss, indicating that the range extended further to the east. The ground floor of the hall range was later underbuilt in colourwashed brick. An 18th or 19th-century extension to the north has colourwashed brick on the ground floor and plaster above. The parlour wing has a crowstepped brick gable end to the south featuring 19th-century copings. The remainder of the wing has an original brick ground floor, now colourwashed, with plastered studding above. The roof is tiled and was altered to a hipped form when the 19th-century addition was made.

The farmhouse is two storeys high, with an attic in the parlour wing. The hall range has various 19th-century casement windows. A blocked 16th-century first-floor window is visible on the south side with a mutilated moulded sill. The south gable end of the parlour wing retains an original three-light mullion and transom attic window, while the ground and first floors have 19th-century five-light windows, also with transoms. All three windows originally had quoined stucco surrounds; the ground floor window’s surround is now in 19th-century white brick, the others in 20th-century cement render. Remaining fragments of original hoodmoulds are visible. A side wall of the parlour wing displays a blocked original window opening at ground floor, and two original upper windows with heavy ovolo mullions, one retaining intact diamond glazing bars. The remains of the stair wing to the north show an original two-light window with a hoodmould and quoining. A former lobby entrance into the hall range has a 19th-century colourwashed brick porch with an embattled parapet; the original door has been replaced by a mid-20th-century canted bay window. A further doorway facing the road has a 19th-century six-panel raised and fielded door (with the top two panels glazed), a corniced doorcase, and a timber trellis porch.

A substantial red brick stack, largely rebuilt in the 19th century, is situated at the junction of the hall range and wings. A side wall of the wing has remains of an original stack to the upper floor, accompanied by a small 19th-century external shaft.

The interior of the hall range features a ceiling with roll-moulded cross-beams and similarly moulded joists, with leaf stops. Further moulding is visible on the wallposts (to ground level) and the mid rail at each end of the room. The fireplace lintol has enriched moulding and folded leaf carving. A chamber above has a cambered ceiling with moulded cross-beams and joists, some of which are concealed by plaster. The newel stair to the rear incorporates 19th-century treads laid over the originals; the newel post has mortices suggesting a lost attic flight. The parlour has two ovolo bridging beams and concealed joists. At first floor, a two-bay chamber is situated at the front, with a single-bay room behind; the chamfered ceiling beams are carried on ovolo-moulded posts and were once arched-braced to them. Evidence of heavy studding remains. The roof over the parlour wing is of side purlin form and is heavily constructed; the roof over the hall range was altered and has not been examined in detail.