Shepperlands Farm

Shepperlands Farm is a house, originally a farmhouse, dating to the late 16th or early 17th century, with later additions in the 19th and 20th centuries. The original house is timber framed with painted brick infill; later extensions are in lightweight timber framing with brick infill, and brick with a render finish. The roofs are tiled.

The original house, aligned north-west to south-east, is two storeys high and comprises a single bay hall and a slightly projecting cross wing on the north-west end. There is evidence of a former smoke bay between the hall and cross wing, with a later chimney stack at the south-east end of the hall. A 20th-century lean-to extension sits on the south-east side. 19th and 20th-century extensions continue the line of the cross wing to the south-west. A 20th-century gabled porch is on the front (north-east) elevation, and these later extensions are not considered of special interest.

The earliest part of the house has exposed square timber framing. A near-complete set of carpenter’s marks remains on the framing of the cross wing. The cill beam has been replaced with a brick plinth and all windows are 20th-century casements with diamond-leaded panes. The roof is pitched, with a 20th-century gable on the east side. A 19th or later catslide roof extends to the south-east, and a 20th-century porch and gable are on the north-east side.

The ground floor hall and cross wing are now combined as a single living room. The hall retains a spine beam with exposed joists. The cross wing has exposed wall timbers, and is ceiled apart from an exposed transverse beam which is chamfered with ogee stops and run-out stops, supported on a jowelled post at the north-west end. The junction between the hall and cross wing is marked by a short bay revealing the position of the former smoke bay. A bressumer across the north-west side of this bay is curved with a deep chamfer on the back and shows signs of charring, indicating a hearth that opened into the cross wing rather than the hall. A straight-flight stair leads to the upper floor on the north-west side of the cross wing. The upper floor has two rooms with some exposed framing and old plaster. The roof is a queen-strut roof with side purlins, ceiled above collar and purlin level. The presence of stave holes on the underside of the collar and remains of a partition of riven struts indicate the location of the former smoke bay at the north-west end of the hall. The roof space has not been inspected, but contains early rafters and further evidence of smoke bay.

Shepperlands Farm is of special interest as a 16th or early 17th-century house with substantial timber framing and a clearly legible internal plan. It is also notable for retaining evidence of a smoke bay at all levels.