Porloe Farmhouse

Farmhouse, dating from around the middle of the 18th century. Constructed from shale rubble with dressed granite steps, sills, and arch stones. The roof is hipped and covered in scantle slate, with brick chimneys set into the side walls, and an external stone breast on the left (south) side. The farmhouse has a double-depth plan, comprising a living room/kitchen on the left and a parlour on the right, with a wide passage leading to a rear stair hall which contains a staircase positioned to the left of centre. Servant's quarters are located to the left and a dairy to the right of the stair hall. The design is in a simple classical style. It is two storeys high and has a symmetrical three-window (1:1:1) east front. The central bay projects forward and features a low-pitched gable with a central oculus niche containing a carved medallion head. The central doorway is accessed by four steps and has an original six-panel door within its original doorcase which features engaged columns, though a later porch has been added. All windows are original casements with thick, internally ovolo-moulded glazing bars. The window above the door has two lights with six panes per light. Windows in bays one and three, set in wide openings with flat arches and projecting keys, have three lights with eight panes per light. The interior, partly inspected, retains original carpentry and joinery throughout, and notable mid-18th century features including six-panel doors, a round arch on pilasters between the passage and stair hall, oak beams in the kitchen, a parlour chimney piece featuring fluted pilasters, a frieze, and a key pattern to the moulded cornice. The open-well staircase has a closed string, column-on-column balusters, column newels over pendants, and a moulded ramped handrail. One window pane is inscribed ‘Mary Kelly, July 11th, 1820’. This is a particularly interesting house, demonstrating a classical style but incorporating the original feature of wide casements to the front, and it has remained largely unaltered since its construction.