Coswarth

Coswarth is a farmhouse of late 16th to early 17th century origin, substantially extended and altered over subsequent centuries. The building is constructed of slatestone and granite rubble with granite dressings, beneath hipped slate and asbestos slate roofs, with rear lateral stacks serving the two main rooms and end stacks with brick shafts.

The house follows an L-plan with a wing to the rear right and a stair tower set in the angle to the rear. The earliest part of the building—the right-hand range—appears to be a parlour cross-wing from the original late 16th or early 17th century structure. The main range to the left was rebuilt in 1761, as marked by a datestone, with further early 19th century additions, while the lower left end has been demolished. The left-hand range may represent a rebuilding on the site of or in front of what was originally the hall. Around the 18th century, outhouses were attached at the left side, enclosing a small service yard.

The asymmetrical two-storey front presents a clear visual distinction between the 18th century range to the left and the earlier range to the right, marked by a straight joint. The right side at ground floor retains an eight-light granite window with hollow-chamfered detail, king mullion, and mullions—likely the end room of the original cross-wing. The first floor above has a twelve-pane sash. The bay to the left features a 20th century door with twelve-pane sash at ground floor and sixteen-pane sash at first floor, with a datestone reading "HE 1761" above the door. Further left, a set-back end bay contains nineteenth century sixteen-pane sashes at both ground and first floor.

The left side end wall is blank. Attached to the left are a pair of 19th century piers with reused octagonal stone caps topped by ball finials, marking the entrance to the service yard; part of an unglazed stone mullioned window is incorporated into the left pier. An L-plan range of two-storey rubble outhouses with corrugated asbestos roofs extends from the outer pier to the house. The outer range of outhouses has two doors and a sixteen-pane sash at ground floor, with two two-light casements at first floor. The range adjoining the house contains three doors and two upper windows. On the inner (rear) side, a stair projection to the right has a fifteen-pane light; a 20th century door and sixteen-pane sash are set to the left, with two further 20th century windows at first floor. The right side displays a large external stack to the left, with three twelve-pane sashes and one sixteen-pane sash at first floor, while ground floor openings include a twelve-pane sash, two-light casements to the central room, and a stack with a 20th century window on each side. This elevation is built of squared granite rubble, and the rightmost ground floor window was formerly a doorway.

Internally, the front entrance opens into a large entrance hall with an open-well stair to the rear left, fitted with stick balusters. A doorway to the right leads into the early range; this has a flat granite head with roll and hollow moulding and a vase with run-out stops. The central room in the early range was subdivided, probably in the 18th century, into a dairy and larder, separated by a two-panelled door with ventilation holes. This partition creates a narrow passage providing access to the main front room and the rear room of the wing. The rear room is heated from a stack at the right side; its fireplace is also in granite with a flat head, roll and hollow moulding, and the same stop details as the outer doorway.