The Rookery

The Rookery is a large farmhouse with origins dating back to the 17th century, extensively remodelled and extended in 1815 for the Harrison family. The date 'CH 1815' is inscribed on the brick facade. The house is primarily timber-framed with roughcast rendering and a white brick facade. It has steeply hipped plain tiled roofs, with glazed pantiles to the rear. The building is roughly shaped like a 'H', comprising a three-bay front range with three- and four-bay wings extending to the rear, and a three-cell early core located to the rear right. The front block is two storeys high, while the rear wings are two storeys high with an attic.

The facade projects slightly to the centre, featuring a raised entrance with six raised, fielded panels, a traceried rectangular fanlight, and a raised fielded panelled soffit and reveals. A timber Roman Doric porch is present, topped with a modillioned cornice. The first floor has a recessed sixteen-pane sash window with a gauged brick segmental head. The outer bays of the facade feature tripartite twelve-pane sashes, also with gauged brick segmental heads. Other details include an offset plinth, pilaster strips at the ends, a modillioned eaves cornice, and a parapet. The returns on the sides of the building are plain and feature stacks behind each bay.

The original three-bay core to the rear right retains earlier features. A half-glazed, half-panelled door, shaped brackets to the hood, and a Phoenix Insurance marker are visible on the rear elevation, along with two- and three-light glazing bar casements and two gabled dormers with leaded panes. A cross axial ridge stack also exists. The four-bay wing to the rear left includes French windows, two- and four-light glazing bar casements, boxed eaves, two gabled dormers, and a cross axial ridge stack. Internal returns on the wings enclose a small yard. A one-storey lean-to is situated behind the main range, displaying scattered casements and entrances.

Inside the early core, there is close studding, stop-chamfered cross axial binding beams, a double purlin roof with lower butt purlins, upper collars and halved principals clasping purlins. The front rooms, dating to the early 19th century, feature dado rails, dentilled cornices, an open-well staircase with turned balusters, and a moulded ramped handrail.

Attached to the longer rear wing are lengths of red brick walling, approximately 50 metres long and 3 to 4 metres high. The walls have a dentil course along the top and a rounded coping. Doorways are located at each end.