Stonewall Farmhouse Mounting Block And Garden Wall To East

Stonewall Farmhouse Mounting Block and Garden Wall to East

A farmhouse, now a house, built in phases from the 15th century through the mid-17th century. The complex comprises three sides of a courtyard, with the north side open. The building is timber-framed with exposed framing and daub infilling, except for the ground floor of the north-east section, which is of coursed galleted stone.

The east side contains a 15th-century open hall of two timber-framed bays. The storeyed north end bay was rebuilt with an east gable in 1634, and the storeyed south end bay was rebuilt with an east gable in the early 17th century, with a rear return wing to the west of two timber-framed bays forming the south side of the courtyard. The mid-17th-century west range comprises five timber-framed bays running north from the west gable end of a late 16th-century range.

The east elevation displays two storeys and an attic on a stone plinth. The timber-frame is close-studded with decorative framing to the gables. The first floor of both end bays is jettied to the front, as are the eaves of both gable ends, which rest on differently-moulded tie-beams and shaped brackets. Moulded bargeboards and pendants ornament the gables; the pendant to the right is dated 1634. A red and grey brick ridge stack in English bond stands at the left end of the hall, with two octagonal flues featuring moulded plinths and cornices and projecting brick knobs at each angle. A corbelled brick stack rises at the right gable end.

The fenestration is irregular. There is a 3-light casement to each gable; that to the left has ovolo-moulded mullions. The main fenestration comprises one deep central 3-light casement to the left gable with 2-light ovolo-moulded mullion frieze windows, one 4-light casement to the right hall bay, and one 12-light rectangular ovolo-moulded mullioned and transomed oriel window to the right end bay with a moulded cill on shaped brackets and with 2-light ovolo-moulded mullion frieze windows. A rectangular 3-light chamfered stone window lights the ground floor of the right end bay. Traces of a blocked doorway exist under the stack.

The south elevation is hung with fishscale tiles. A multiple corbelled brick ridge stack rises towards the west end. The first floor contains one 2-light casement and one horizontally-sliding sash. A half-glazed door towards the east end has a floating corniced hood. A tile-hung lean-to extends towards the west end, and the south gable end of the west range projects south of it.

The west elevation has a ground floor of red and grey brick in Flemish bond and a first floor that is close-studded with lath and daub infilling. Internally visible arch-braces appear within the first floor. The elevation is two storeys and an attic, with a dropped tie-beam. A panelled brick ridge stack rises at the second bay from the south. Fenestration comprises two casements and one ovolo-moulded mullion window. A boarded first-floor door stands under the stack, and boarded ground-floor doors below, with a porch, and to the fourth bay from the south, are also present.

The north elevation displays a panelled door in a porch within the re-entrant angle formed by the east and south ranges.

The interior retains evidence of its medieval origins and construction campaigns. The hall contains evidence for a crown-post roof. The south range has a clasped purlin roof with diminishing principal rafters, windbraces, and intermediate collars. The west range displays a staggered butt purlin roof with interrupted tie-beams and vertical queen-struts to the rafters. A moulded cross-beam ornaments the ground floor of the hall. Shaped brackets support the ground-floor beams of the south range.

The ground floor of the west end of the south range contains a chamfered stone fireplace occupying the full width of the room, with access to the west range via the lean-to. Above it, on the first floor, a 4-centred arched stone fireplace features vase stops and shields to the spandrels. A smaller fireplace with chamfered stone jambs lights the south end of the east range. An inglenook fireplace occupies the south end of the west range.

The mounting block consists of four stone steps placed against the east end of the north gable of the west range.

The garden wall is constructed of ragstone, approximately 2.5 metres high, with rounded ragstone coping. It runs east for approximately 23 metres from the north gable end of the east range before turning south for approximately 30 metres.