Primemeads

Primemeads

A former farmhouse, now a house. The building comprises two main phases of development. The northern range dates from the late 16th or early 17th century, while the southern range was added in the late 18th or early 19th century. A further room was added to the west of the original wing at the same time, and a single storey extension was constructed to the north-west soon after 1913.

The northern range is timber-framed, with external re-fronting in brickwork. The southern range is constructed of brick laid in Flemish bond, now painted. The roofs are tiled, gabled to the east and hipped to the west, with three painted brick end chimneystacks.

The earlier northern range comprises two storeys and three bays. The ground floor contains a larger heated room and a service room, with two chambers above. The building may originally have had a smoke hood on the north-east side, later replaced by a stone chimneystack in the 17th century. The ground floor ceiling was probably raised at this time. The late 18th or early 19th century southern brick parlour range comprises two rooms on each floor, with a large open fireplace in the western ground floor room and a straight flight staircase adjoining the eastern wall of the larger ground floor room.

The south side now serves as the entrance front and features a brick dogtooth cornice and two casement windows on each floor. A straight joint in the brickwork marks the junction to the east of the doorcase. The eastern first floor window has an elliptical-headed surround; the others have flat arches. All windows are 20th century casement replacements, and the eastern ground floor window was enlarged in the mid-20th century. A central 20th century gabled porch supported on wooden posts features a 20th century glazed door.

The north part of the east elevation shows some exposed timber framing at the corner and a stone rubble chimneystack. The remaining part is of painted brick with a dogtooth cornice. The northern half of the ground floor is concealed by a 19th century penticed wooden lean-to with a tiled roof.

The eastern part of the north side features a catslide roofed verandah supported on wooden posts, with a hipped dormer above. Behind the verandah the original timber-frame is exposed, displaying square panels and curved wind-braces, with a wide door opening fitted with a plank door. The western part has a projecting catslide roof incorporating an early 20th century lean-to addition.

The west side comprises two parallel ranges of different sizes, both of painted brick and both gabled with end brick chimneystacks. There is a casement on each floor at the junction of the two ranges and a narrow 20th century door in the northern range.

Internally, the north-east ground floor room retains an exposed wall frame with square panels and a raised floor with exposed spine beam and floor joists. This is supported on a post with a corbelled head carved with a frieze dated 1685 and two W's beneath, probably the initials of the owner. The stone chimney retains the bread oven door, marked with the maker's name CARRON 24, and a fuel opening below. Unusual half-circle carpenters' assembly marks appear on the eastern truss. A cut-out in the main post may indicate evidence for a hearth seat. An internal panelled partition between the north-east and north-west ground floor rooms survives. The north-west ground floor room displays an exposed wall frame with square panels and diagonal braces and exposed floor joists. The lean-to addition at the north-east end has separate external access and may have been used by livestock.

The south-west ground floor room contains two slightly chamfered ceiling beams and an early 19th century open fireplace with a wooden bressumer and a built-in wooden seat on the right side of the alcove. The floor features unusually-shaped massive stone slabs. The adjoining room, probably originally a parlour, has a high ceiling with square floor joists and two wide door surrounds.

A straight flight wooden staircase leads to the upper floor. The earlier north wing floor level is lower than the later wing. The north-west bedroom contains the external west end wall with queen posts, possibly a blocked original window in the corner, and signs of weathering. The adjoining room, now a bathroom, has the reverse side of the external west wall, exposed north wall frame, an internal partition and original wide elm floorboards. The north-east bedroom retains an exposed wall frame to both the north and south walls, including a blocked wooden mullioned window on the north wall and a panelled wooden plank door with pintle hinges and a wooden latch. There is also a west gable with a tie beam and the lower part of the queen post visible. The roof structure is of clasped purlin construction with two queen struts rising from the tie beam up to the collar.

The two bedrooms in the later south-east wing retain some ledged plank doors.