Shelvingford Farmhouse

Shelvingford Farmhouse is a timber-framed house of late 15th or early 16th century date, built by the Hawte Family. It was extended later in the 16th century and underwent some 18th century alterations, with a small 19th century addition.

The building is constructed with timber-framing and plastered infill beneath a steeply pitched tiled roof with brick ridge and end chimneystacks. The south-east front and part of the north-west front are clad in Flemish bond brickwork, while the north-east front is rendered.

Originally the house was a two-storey, four-bay structure with a continuous jetty and a central upper hall of two bays featuring a brick chimneystack and solid tread staircase. The south-west solar bay was replaced in the mid-16th century by a two-storey, two-bay jettied cross-wing, with small later extensions added to the north-west and north-east sides.

On the south-west or entrance front, an off-central 17th century brick chimneystack marks the junction of the open hall and cross-wing. The three northern bays, dating to the late 15th or early 16th century, display exposed timber-framing with a continuous jetty supported on brackets. The upper floor features curved braces, three restored window openings and two blocked former window openings. The framing opposite the chimneystack appears to indicate a smoke or chimney bay. The ground floor has close-studding, three restored window openings and a restored doorcase with plank door. The southern truss originally continued into the solar bay before its replacement. The mid-16th century southern bay is also jettied but stands higher, with a corner dragon post, diagonal braces to the upper floor and a restored ground-floor window.

The south-east front of the solar wing was re-fronted in the 18th century in Flemish bond brickwork, now containing two 19th century casement windows and French windows to the ground floor. The north-east side is rendered with an external brick chimneystack and two lean-to extensions. The north-west front has a mid-19th century brick lean-to at its south end, a gabled outshot combining part painted brick and part weather-boarding, and a projecting mid-19th century two-storey extension with hipped roof and three-over-three sash windows with horns. The northern bay features a catslide roof over an 18th century outshot.

Interior features include the entrance from the south-west front leading into the north-west service bay with exposed ceiling beams, one showing sockets from a former original partition. The adjoining ground-floor room contains chamfered spine beams, exposed wall frame with close-studding, window openings to the rear wall, and curved braces to an internal partition. A 17th century brick fireplace has a chamfered wooden bressumer with the marks of a crane and a spice hole. Adjacent to this is a 16th century triangular-shaped flight of solid tread stairs, in the original position but turned around.

The southern ground-floor end room in the cross-wing has exposed ceiling joists including a dragon beam, a 16th century ogee-moulded casement window and a 17th century parlour fireplace with a chamfered beam featuring ornamental diamond stops.

The upper floor contains a two-bay hall with a central rebated crown post with four head braces, end crown posts with curved braces, collar beams and rafters. The north end wall displays exposed lime-washed original wattle and daub, and there are original wide oak floor boards. The upper room to the cross-wing has a roof of rafters and collar beams supported on curved brackets, with curved braces to the wall frame and an original ovolo-moulded casement window.

The cellar beneath the cross-wing is reported to contain candle niches with shouldered heads and a brick dated 1718.