Westcott

Westcott, Linkinhorne

A farmhouse, now house, of late 16th to early 17th century origin that was remodelled and extended in 1653 by Edward Kneebone. What survives may be a fragment of a larger house of this date, or possibly the house was never completed. The building underwent further alterations in the early 18th century (around 1700), including reconstruction of the staircase, and again in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The house is constructed of slatestone rubble with granite dressings. The roof is slate with ridge tiles and gable ends. Gable end stacks with rubble shafts and granite coping are present, one to the right gable end and another to the front left wing.

The plan is an L-shaped fragment of what was probably a larger building, possibly originally U-shaped. The earlier building, which appears to have been the hall and inner room, projects to the front left. The hall was originally heated by a stack now at the front gable end, which would have originally been positioned axially at its lower end. The inner room has a later corner fireplace on what would have been the rear wall. Probably in the later 17th or early 18th century, the front or rear of this hall (now the left side) was extended, projecting beyond the inner room. In 1653, the house was enlarged by addition of a stair hall and main parlour, attached at right angles to the inner room with access into the original hall. The staircase was reconstructed around 1700, with a closet at ground floor below the stair well. In the mid-19th century, a doorway was inserted in the front of the stair hall, later converted to a window in the late 20th century. The insertion of this doorway suggests either that a U-plan wing with main entrance was removed, or that the remodelling work of 1653 was interrupted before a main entrance was built.

The exterior is two storeys. In the parlour wing, the ground floor has a three-light stone mullion window (20th century replacement) and a six-light granite window with king mullion and hood mould with stops. The first floor has three-light and four-light granite mullion windows with king mullions, hood moulds with stops. At first floor centre is a granite stone bearing the initials EK and a crest (an uprooted tree), with datestone reading 1653 to the right. To the left is a small chamfered single light at both ground and first floor. To the left stands the two-storey gabled wing of the early house, which has an end stack with oven at the base, a porch with pitched roof and 20th century door to the left of the stack. The right gable end of the parlour wing is rendered, with a two-light chamfered granite casement at first floor to the left, with iron stanchions and hood mould. At the left side, the front wing has ground and first floor three-light wooden casements (first floor with L hinges). A slipped roof to the left has a 20th century glazed door and first floor three-light casement, with a blocked chamfered granite window to the left and a buttress. The rear is rendered, with two windows at first floor in the stair hall—one three-light and one small two-light—both granite casements with hollow-chamfered mullions.

The parlour in the parlour wing features a large chamfered granite fireplace with flat lintel and 19th century wooden mantel, and a slate floor. The ceiling displays exceptional plasterwork from 1653, featuring a knot pattern with acorn and oak leaf bosses and fruit sprays, combined with an 18th century box cornice. An 18th century doorframe holds a 19th century plain door.

The stair hall contains an open-well stair with an early 18th century balustrade at first floor featuring turned balusters. The closet under the stairs has an ovolo-moulded doorframe with a bobbin-turned balustrade serving as a ventilator over the doorway and a two-panelled door. The doorway to the left, leading into the original hall, has a fine nine-panelled door with moulded studded battens and fleur-de-lys strap hinges. The frame facing the hall is ovolo-moulded with vase stops bearing carved stylised flowers.

The original hall has a slate floor and heavy chamfered beams, extended by a further bay to the outer side. The gable end fireplace is a 20th century reconstruction. The inner room was altered in the late 20th century with a corner fireplace.

At first floor, three fine 17th century panelled doors in ovolo-moulded frames lead to the chamber over the parlour, the chamber over the stair hall, and the chamber over the original inner room. The doors feature good ironmongery.

The chamber over the parlour has a plain plaster barrel vault with a honeysuckle plasterwork frieze and cornice. The plasterwork overmantel depicts a vase of flowers with a bird perching on a stem. The fireplace is granite with a cambered chamfered arch. The plaster frieze extends over the feet of the principals. A small closet of uncertain purpose is located over the stairs.

The roof features chamfered collars over the parlour wing and was largely renewed in the late 20th century.

Westcott retains unusually high quality internal features, particularly the plasterwork.