Lantallack Farmhouse

LANTALLACK FARMHOUSE

Farmhouse, now house. Probably early to mid 17th century, with later 17th century additions of dairy and stair tower, re-oriented and extended in late 18th century, with 19th and 20th century alterations and additions. Constructed from slatestone rubble with front rendered, partly slate-hung and partly painted. Slate roof with crested ridge tiles, hipped at the right end and with gable ends to the left and to the rear wing. Front rooms heated by rear lateral stacks, rear gable end stack to rear wing.

The original plan consisted of three rooms, with a room to the end left heated by a gable end stack, and two rooms to the right heated by an axial stack; whether there was originally a passage between the end room to the left and the two rooms to the right remains unclear. In the later 17th century, an unheated dairy of single-room plan was added to the front of the end room to the right, and a stair tower was added in the angle to the main range. In the late 18th century, the house was re-oriented, so that the right side became the front. The end right room was incorporated as the principal front left room in the new range, and the house was extended with a central entrance hall and rear stair hall, with parlour to front right. The former axial stack became a rear lateral stack for the front room to the left, and the front room to the right was heated by a rear lateral stack. The original central room was partitioned to form a passage between the dairy and the kitchen in the original left end room (now taking the position of a rear kitchen wing), and a small rear parlour was formed, heated from the original axial stack. Probably also at this time, an addition was built around the stair tower for a salting room, adjacent to the dairy. Some alterations occurred in the 19th century including re-roofing of the front range, and a 20th century addition was built to the right side of the kitchen.

Exterior: Two storeys with a symmetrical three-bay front to the right and one bay (dairy) to the left, with a modillion cornice across the whole front. The three bays to the right have a central six-panelled door with overlight with diamond glazing, plain pilasters and pediment. To the left, a 19th century eight-pane sash with sidelights; to the right, an 18th century twelve-pane sash with sidelights. First floor has twelve-pane sash with sidelights and a central sixteen-pane sash. To the left, the dairy has a sixteen-pane sash at ground and first floor. At the left side, the gable end wall of the dairy has a ground floor two-light 19th century casement with segmental head; a straight joint to the left marks where the salt room begins, which has a slurried slate roof and a four-pane light to its left side. At upper level, the stair tower has a single light with 20th century glazing. To the left, the ground floor has two two-light casements with flat heads, to the left with a slate dripstone, to the right with a brick segmental head. A slate string course runs between the windows at lintel level. The right side of the late 18th century building is slate-hung at upper level. The rear of this is also slate-hung, with an external stack with brick shaft. The late 18th century stair tower projects, with pitched roof, also slate-hung, partly in asbestos slate, with a small store room underneath with door and a four-pane sash at first floor. The right side of the rear wing is in painted rubble, with a 19th century four-pane sash and two-light casement at ground floor and two 20th century windows at first floor. Attached to the right is a single-storey 20th century addition with a door to the side and two windows in the gable end. The rear gable end of the wing has a stepped external stack with a curved oven at the base and remains of a slate string course above the oven.

Interior: The front entrance hall has dado panelling and a segmental arch to the rear to the stair well; the dog-leg stair has a scrolled string, moulded handrail and stick balusters. Both front rooms have six-panelled doors in moulded architraves. The front right room has a cornice with vases, beading, egg and dart and acanthus leaves, with panelled shutters to the windows. The stair tower has a newel stair. The small inner parlour has dado panelling. The dairy has a slate floor with slate shelves around the walls. The salting room has a trough and hooks in the ceiling. The kitchen has a slate floor. The window in the inner parlour may mark the site of the original door.

Roof: Four bays remain of the roof over the kitchen; the trusses remain under a later roof. The principal rafters are halved and pegged, with collars pegged to the face of the principals and trenches remaining for upper purlins, probably of the 18th century phase of alteration.