Red House Farm

Red House Farm

Farmhouse thought to originate in the 16th century, with much subsequent rebuilding and alteration.

The building is timber-framed with brick infill, now rendered and painted externally. The roof is hipped at the west end and thatched, with a red brick stack rising near the centre, probably dating from the 19th or early 20th century. The visible external applied timbers date from the late 20th century, as do all window frames.

The four-bay original building is rectangular on plan, aligned west to east. It has been extended eastward in line with the original range under a continuous roof level, with projections to the south, and a narrower lower extension at the west end, both post-dating 1909. A late 20th-century projection on the south front provides a porch and small room; a smaller porch sheltering the entrance existed in 1876. Historic timbers are visible in the south wall. A conservatory extension runs along the north side of the original building.

The entrance is now in the south elevation towards the west end, protected by the late 20th-century porch. The thatch extends over this section, framing an earlier first-floor window. A 1876 photograph showing exposed timber framing indicates that window openings on the south front are not in original positions. To the east of the doorway is a horizontal ground-floor window retaining its 1876 proportions, with a dormer above. The ground-floor window to the west is a 20th-century insertion, though the dormer above dates to 1876. A projecting thatched archway marks the junction between the main range and western extension. The original north wall has largely been lost at ground-floor level where the conservatory stands; two dormer windows open above it.

Interior features include two western ground-floor bays now open to each other, divided by a transverse beam on a central post. The underside of the beam shows mortices for studs and stave-holes for wattle-and-daub indicating a former partition with doorway. The spine beam in two sections; the western section bears various inscriptions including what appears to be a date of 1525, though their origin is uncertain and the beam's originality is doubtful. Ceiling joists here are not thought original. The spine beam in the next eastern bay is deeply chamfered with scroll stops to either end, thought to be 16th-century and in original position; joists here are also considered original. The brick-built chimney appears entirely or largely rebuilt in the late 20th century at ground-floor level. To the west is a wide chimney opening with a re-set bressumer appearing to date from circa 1600. The eastern room's chimney area has been rebuilt in complex form with what appears to be a re-modelled bread oven to the south and an arched opening to the north. Exposed timber joists and partition fragments exist here but are probably not original. A horizontal timber in the eastern wall appears to be a reused fireplace lintel, possibly from the early 17th century. The stair, rising south of the chimney, likely occupies its position since the early 17th century but has been remodelled.

At first-floor level, the stair reaches a small landing accessing rooms to west and east. Timber framing is visible in the walls alongside the queen-post trusses of the roof structure which define the rooms, with the roof open to collar level. Several timbers have been replaced and dating cannot always be determined with certainty. In the western room, tie beams are thought re-used. In the eastern room, tie beams are thought original with replaced collars. Purlins and wall plates appear original. A 20th-century brick fireplace opens into the chimney stack in the eastern room.

In the roof space, the brick-built chimney stack rises within the former smoke bay; bricks are thought to be 17th-century. Smoke-blackening is clearly evident on the western partition which formed part of the smoke bay. The upper part of the western partition no longer remains, but stave holes on the truss underside show it rose to full height. Smoke-blackening extends from the former smoke bay westward beyond the partition position, supporting the theory that the house originally had an open hall. Some rafters have been cut away to accommodate the inserted brick stack.

To the north-west is a small ancillary building shown on early Ordnance Survey maps as the eastern part of a longer structure. Considerably altered, it was not inspected internally.