Layers Breck Farmhouse

Former farmhouse, dating back to the 15th century. It began as a Wealden house with a contemporary rear wing, although the storied upper end of the main range is now missing. The building is now largely two storeys high but includes a later cellar below, and part of it has attics. The front range has three bays, while the rear wing has two. The structure is timber-framed, with exposed timbers on much of the front, and the remainder rendered. The roofs are tiled, with some black-glazed tiles present. Each range has an end chimney stack, the one on the main range features four hexagonal shafts with attached heads on a plain rectangular base. Two fireplaces on the external wall indicate the former location of the missing storied end; both hearths have rounded backs and arched surrounds, and the upper storey of one is plastered and ovolo-moulded. Modern casement windows are in a variety of styles, with a section of a diamond-mullioned upper window exposed on the right side of the front. The wide doorway has shallow arched spandrels, and empty mortices above and to each side of the surround suggest a former original porch. A corresponding doorway on the back wall originally created a cross-passage entry to the former two-bay open hall, which was divided from the main hall by a screen with a wide central opening; this screen remains in situ, but is now infilled with later panelling. The roof is a crown-post roof with a particularly fine open truss, featuring chamfered posts, a cambered tie-beam with hollow-chamfer moulding, heavy arched braces terminating in carved capitals (each different), and a tall octagonal crown-post with moulded detail at the cap and base, braced four ways at the head – one brace is missing. In the late 16th century, the front wall of the upper hall bay was extended to align with the wallplate; the inserted hall beam of the same date has a plain chamfer and curved stops, and the hearth a plain timber lintel. On the opposite side of the cross-passage, the doors to the two service rooms, with arched heads, and the doorway to the stair are still in place. The rear wing retains an original arched doorway and window, and appears to have had a separate cross-entry against the rear wall of the main range. Originally, access to the main house was only possible from the upper storey. The rear wing contains an exposed ceiling with heavy cross-beams, and a large open fireplace replacing a former smoke-bay. Throughout the house, the timbering is of very good quality.