Walters Farmhouse

Walters Farmhouse

A two-storey timber-framed house dating from the late 15th to early 16th century, with alterations made around the 17th century and in the late 19th century.

The building is constructed with a timber frame. The ground floor front and rear walls are infilled with exposed brick between the primary timbers, while the first floor is clad in hung clay tiles on a partially rebuilt timber frame. The side elevations are entirely timber framed, with the east elevation finished in hung clay tiles and the west clad in painted weatherboard on a ragstone plinth. The roof is covered with clay tiles.

The house has a rectangular footprint running parallel to the High Street on an east-west axis, with a lobby-entry plan form accessed from a centrally positioned front door. A central smoke bay and inserted chimney stack separates a parlour to the west from two smaller rooms to the east that probably formed the service end historically.

The north-facing front elevation comprises two and a half bays—a full bay either side of a central half bay. The ground floor is constructed from red brick laid in Flemish bond with penny-rolled pointing, separated from the first floor by a three-course brick corbel and cogging. Above this are decorative scalloped and plain clay tiles hung in alternate rows of three. A plain timber plank door is positioned centrally below a small gabled porch canopy on decorative timber brackets. The doorcase has a shallow pointed arch head, which is obscured by the hung tiles from outside. There are four windows to the front elevation: two two-light windows to the ground floor equally spaced either side of the front door, with three-light windows above. These windows feature stone sills on the ground floor. The roof is gabled at both ends, and at the rear of the ridge is a central brick chimney stack with corbelling.

The south-facing rear elevation is also constructed from red brick to the ground floor, with the lower courses laid in an irregular bond of various sized bricks and those above laid in stretcher bond. The first floor has hung plain clay tiles. There are two rear doors, both slightly inset from the end walls, with a single light window to the first floor. Visible within the brickwork at ground floor level are the jowl posts of the central half bay. The western post has a mortise, possibly indicating a since-removed lean-to structure, and the eastern post has been over-clad with weatherboard.

The western end wall has a ragstone plinth with painted weatherboard cladding above, a central two-light window to the ground floor, and another to the first floor serving the rear room.

The eastern elevation is entirely clad in clay tiles matching the alternating pattern of those to the front elevation.

Throughout the building, the fenestration comprises multiple-pane timber casement windows with timber sills, apart from the front elevation ground floor which has stone sills. Some windows are modern replacements, whilst others are from the late 19th century.

Internally, most of the primary timbers of the historic frame are exposed and present, with very little repair and alteration evident. The wall frames have pairs of jowled posts at the corners and bay divisions, midrails, and at the west end, part of the sole plate survives. The floor frames have chamfered axial and transverse beams with flat step stops. The joists are visible within the ground floor ceilings, appearing to be laid on their side or square in profile, with plaster infill panels added between. On the first floor are wall plates and tie beams; the west cross frame survives particularly well and has curved upward braces and studs. The roof has a near complete crown post structure, including collar purlin and rafters, smoke-blackened within the smoke bay.

The walls are typically finished in lath and plaster that obscures the scantling. There are areas of plastered brick to the chimney stack and wattle and daub to the smoke bay on the first floor and within the attic.

At ground level, the floor to the parlour is laid in red brick, with 20th century timber floorboards to the front service room covering what appears to be a compacted earth floor below. The centrally positioned chimney stack is constructed from red brick, serving a plain open fireplace facing the parlour. There is a built-in cupboard to one side of the fireplace and a hatch for sweeping on the rear side of the stack.

A set of plain 19th century stairs lead to the first floor, where the rooms have 20th century partitions. The centrally positioned smoke bay has had a 20th century timber floor inserted through it, with its north and south walls removed on the first floor, though the east and west walls remain present. The smoke bay walls are constructed from wattle and daub, with the western wall heavily smoke-blackened and the eastern wall covered over. All four smoke bay walls partially survive within the attic. Through the smoke bay is access to a space that has been partitioned from the larger room to the west, and an infilled doorway through to the smaller room to the east, indicating an alternate previous layout. The flooring to the first floor comprises wide oak or elm boards to the western rooms, with narrower boards of later date laid to the eastern rooms and landing.

Most internal doors are 19th century or earlier plank and batten construction with strap hinges.