Christopher Fields

Christopher Fields

This is a timber-framed farmhouse dating from the 16th century, substantially extended and re-fronted in the 18th century. A further range was added around 1930 to the south-west, and the kitchen was extended with a porch added and the house refurbished and re-fenestrated around 2002. The 1930 and 2002 additions are not of special interest.

The building is constructed with timber-framing, plaster and brick infill. The first floor is tile-hung with a brick ground floor. The roof is hipped and tiled with a brick chimneystack.

The original 16th-century part of the building, forming the central section of the north-east range, was probably a two-storey, three-bay structure with an end chimneystack. It was extended at each end during the 18th century. Around 1930 a further range was added to the south-east, and in 2002 a kitchen extension and porch were added.

The principal north-east front is clad in tile-hanging on the first floor over a brick ground floor. Two bay posts are exposed on the ground floor north of the porch. There are four unevenly spaced windows fitted with early 21st-century replacement casements. The main entrance is opposite the chimneystack beneath an early 21st-century gabled porch of traditional type.

The south-west side has an extension with a sloping roof in similar materials and an earlier single-storey sandstone outbuilding. The eastern half of this side is formed by the end elevation of the circa 1930 rear range. The north-west side displays an exposed gable end with thin 18th-century framing and brick infill, and a 19th-century brick lean-to with some sandstone quoins. The western side is formed by the hipped gable end of the circa 1930 extension. The south-west elevation comprises the circa 1930 range, which has a brick ground floor in stretcher bond and a tile-hung first floor with some courses of curved tiles, and a number of casement windows.

The entrance is through a ledged plank door in the porch and leads directly into an entrance hall with a massive sandstone open fireplace featuring a chamfered wooden bressumer with lamb's tongue stop. The east wall has exposed timber-framing with a midrail, and similar framing appears on the north partition wall leading into the sitting room. The dining room to the south of the entrance hall contains some exposed sandstone at the back of the open fireplace and a smaller fireplace with a plain wooden bressumer. The sitting room has two exposed bay posts along the front wall and exposed ceiling beams.

A staircase in the circa 1930 wing leads to the upper floor, where the original south-east external wall frame with midrail is exposed. The south-eastern master bedroom has an exposed jowled bay post, tie beam and studs forming what was probably the original external end wall of the house, together with a further exposed wallplate to a probable 18th-century extension. The penultimate south bedroom contains the tapering upper part of the chimneystack, a jowled corner post, the exposed frame to the front and original rear walls with studs and diagonal tension braces, and the lower part of some rafters. The partition between this room and the next to the north has jowled posts and some rush-light marks. The adjoining penultimate bedroom to the north-east has the exposed original rear wall with a diagonal tension brace. The north-west end bedroom contains wall framing of 18th-century date, including the north-east end wall which has an 18th-century curved jowl and diagonal tension brace.