Bottaborough Farmhouse

Farmhouse, likely dating back to the 17th century or earlier, with alterations in the 1950s. Constructed of rendered stone with cob to the front and left gable end, rendered stone to the rear, and stone to the right gable end. It has a massive stone ridge chimney, a left gable end chimney of brick, and a slate roof largely replaced with asbestos slates. The original layout was of three rooms and a cross passage, with a newel staircase to the rear of the cross passage; the stair was originally located in a rear projection. The house was widened to the rear, with rear outshuts positioned to the left and right of the staircase, and the rear roofline was raised in the 1950s. Evidence suggests a former garret storey existed in the late 17th century, within the present roofspace. The front elevation is asymmetrical, with five windows and a centrally positioned, gabled porch constructed in the 1950s, replacing a former two-storey porch. Ground floor windows include a 16-pane sash on the left, and two 20th-century 2-light casements with 4 panes per light to the right of the porch. A similar 2-light casement with 2 panes per light sits on the far right. First floor windows consist of a 20th-century 2-light casement with 4 panes per light, two similar windows, three late 17th-century 2-light casements with leaded panes, a fourth 20th-century 2-light casement with 4 panes per light, and a final late 17th-century 2-light casement with some leaded panes. A late 17th-century 4-plank studded door opens into the through passage. An ovolo-moulded doorway is found to the rear of the passage. A chamfered, stopped doorway exists between the room on the right and the middle ground floor room. The wide newel stair to the rear of the passage has a softwood staircase above, likely late 17th century, over an earlier oak stair. Three late 17th-century chamfered, stopped doorways lead from the top of the stair into first floor rooms, with a similar doorway leading into the first-floor room to the right. Boxed-in cross beams are present in some first floor rooms. The steeply-pitched tie beam roof features collars pegged into principals, with halved and pegged principals at the apex. The roofspace walls are plastered, and a stud and plaster partition wall exists there, alongside remains of a front window with a timber sill. Ground floor fireplaces are located against a large stone stack that is partially blocked, possibly concealing earlier features; the room on the left has a large fireplace with a fireplace beam and a clom oven. A partially blocked, probably ovolo-moulded stone doorway leads into a storage space under the stairs. A 2-light window, dating from the 14th or early 15th century with pointed arched stone tracery, formerly from the upper storey of the 2-storey porch, is now owned by the present owner. It includes cusped lights and is constructed from a single piece of stone. A 2-light ovolo-moulded window, formerly in the right gable end, lighting a third storey, is also in the possession of the present owner.