Major Farmhouse

A vernacular C17 lobby entry farmhouse, extended twice in the C18.

MATERIALS

The building has a structural timber frame, with some red brick used for chimneys and the exterior wall of the east extension. The roofs are covered in glazed pantiles.

PLAN

The house faces west and retains at its core the rectangular original lobby-entry range. This has been elaborated by the addition of the east and south extensions.

EXTERIOR

The C17 core of the house has two principal storeys and an attic contained within a steeply pitched roof. This roof extends in a cat-slide to the outer wall of the eastern ground floor extension. Perpendicular to these parts is a two-storey south extension with its own hipped roof.

The principal elevation faces west and includes the long outer wall of the C17 house standing slightly proud of the south extension. The walls of both parts of the building are covered in render. The main entrance within the principal block is positioned centrally on the ground floor and has a segmental fanlight and a six-panelled, late-C19, door. To each side of the door is a timber-framed window opening, with two corresponding windows at the first floor. A chimney stack rises through the ridgeline level with the entrance. The west elevation of the south extension features a single window on each floor.

The north elevation comprises the gable wall of the C17 block and the termination of the east extension. There are windows at the ground and attic level. The partial loss of render has exposed some of the long vertical studding of the C17 timber frame.

The east elevation features the long cat slide form that connects the extension to the C17 range. Between the east extension and the south extension is an area of later in-fill that connects those two parts of the building. The ground floor of the east extension is walled with brick and has two windows. The south extension is rendered and has a window on both ground and first floor.

The south elevation is windowless and covered in render, except for a single door at the east end of the ground floor. Rising centrally through the hipped pantiled roof is a brick chimney stack.

INTERIOR

The principal interior spaces flank the central chimney stack within the C17 range. At ground floor these include two substantial fireplaces: in the north room is a brick fireplace with a timber bressumer, and in the south room is a blocked fireplace (now containing a gas heater) that has a classical late-C19 wooden surround. Within the southern extension there is a late-C18 or early-C19 hob grate at ground floor.

The vertical circulation includes two straight flights from ground to first floor, and a winder stair from the first floor to the attic. At the north end of the building the straight flight is steep and ladder-like. There are other articles of historic joinery throughout the house, including two plank and batten doors, and several C19 four-panelled doors.