Willows

Willows is a house, formerly a farmhouse, that dates from the 17th century or earlier and was remodeled in the 1930s in a vernacular revival style. The building features a timber frame, red brick, tile hanging, and a clay tile roof.

The house is two storeys high and consists of the original structure encased within 20th-century extensions. It has three bays, with the largest bay located to the south and is one room deep. The layout follows a lobby-entry plan with coupled chimney stacks positioned between the southern and central bays, and a single stack on the northern end gable, which is now enclosed within the 20th-century extension. There are additional extensions to the north, east, and west, with cross gables on the east and west sides. The entrance and staircase are now located in the extension on the east side.

The exterior displays an irregular composition of exposed timber framing filled with brick nogging, some of which is laid in a herringbone pattern. The entrances on the east and west elevations feature 20th-century Tudor style doors with four-centred arches and decorative iron hinges. The windows are iron casements with rectangular leaded lights, and there is a double-height transomed window in the stair hall on the east side. The pitched roofs have half hips at the gables, and dormers on the west side break through the eaves.

Inside, sections of the original outer walls and cross frames are exposed at both ground and first floor levels, showcasing square framing. There are massive brick back-to-back chimney breasts between the southern and central rooms, with the end chimney breast of the earlier building now incorporated within the 20th-century extension. The stacks support heavy spine beams that bear exposed joists. The roof has not been inspected, but the lower section of a queen post truss is visible below the modern bedroom ceiling. Most of the joinery comes from the 20th-century remodeling, including an oak Arts and Crafts style staircase with square newels and plank doors.

Willows is of special interest as a 17th-century timber frame house that retains significant historic structure and plan form despite the later extensions. Historical maps indicate that the house functioned as a farmhouse until the 1930s.