Coombe Farmhouse

Coombe Farmhouse, dating to 1744 (with a datestone), is likely to have earlier origins. It is constructed of rendered stone rubble with a rag slate roof, stone rubble end stacks, and two axial stacks. The house’s original layout is unclear, and its present form probably resulted from remodeling and rebuilding. Documentary evidence suggests William Coombe built the house in 1744, but it may incorporate older elements. The house originally comprised a four-room and lobby entrance plan, with the entrance situated to the right of centre. A lower end to the right is heated by an end stack, a hall to the left by an axial stack, and a large inner room beyond, also heated by an end stack. A thick cross wall between the hall and inner room contains the flue for the chamber fireplace.

The front elevation is rendered, while the rear shows straight joints suggesting it might have originally been a two-room and through-passage layout, with the lower end rebuilt in the 18th century. A circa late 17th-century stair turret was probably added to the rear of the hall. Blocked openings in the hall’s front and rear walls are of uncertain purpose, although one on the front appears to have been a secondary entrance close to the fireplace. The large inner room appears to be a 18th-century extension. A 19th-century outbuilding is located on the left-hand end, and a 19th-century one-room plan extension on the right was reduced to a single storey in the 20th century.

The two-storey, asymmetrical front facade has a 19th-century six-panel door slightly right of centre, beneath a reset chamfered granite lintel. A 19th-century 16-pane sash window is to the right, and a blocked doorway with a 19th-century 16-pane sash (featuring a dressed key block and the 1744 datestone) is to the left. A 20th-century two-light casement window illuminates the inner room. Four 16-pane sash windows are on the first floor, with several having been replaced in the 20th century.

Inside, the hall fireplace has a chamfered granite lintel with roughly cut granite jambs, and the floor joists are chamfered with run-out stops. A remnant of a circa 18th-century hall bench remains on the front wall. The stair turret contains stone treads. The inner room features a 20th-century grate and plastered ceilings. The lower end retains a roughly cut lintel to the fireplace and a 19th-century Cornish range, along with chamfered beams. The roof structure was inaccessible, and further inspection might refine the building’s dating and clarify the development of its plan.