Newton Farmhouse, With Attached Wall, Gateway And Cart Shed

Newton Farmhouse with Attached Wall, Gateway and Cart Shed

This farmhouse complex probably dates from the late 16th or early 17th century, with a gateway dated 1665, additions from around the 18th century, and alterations made during the 19th and 20th centuries. The buildings are constructed of slatestone and granite rubble with granite dressings, partly rendered. The roof has an asbestos slate front slope and slate rear slope, finished with ridge tiles and gable ends. The gable end stacks are of granite ashlar with cornice to the left, and rubble shaft to the right.

The original farmhouse follows a 2-room plan with a wide central cross passage. The smaller room to the right at a higher level, probably a parlour, is heated by the right-hand gable end stack. The larger room to the left is a hall or kitchen, also heated by its own gable end stack. A stair tower lies to the rear of the passage, possibly part of the original construction. To the rear right is an integral single-storey outshut, unheated and used as a dairy.

Around 1665, a 2-storey wing of 2-room plan was added to the front of the lower left end. This wing does not appear to have been heated. It encloses a front courtyard, which is bounded by a slatestone rubble wall with a granite gateway set centrally. The gateway has a 3-centred arch that is chamfered and stopped, with recessed spandrels bearing carved hearts and the date 1665, topped by a square hood mould.

Probably in the late 18th or early 19th century, an open-fronted cart shed was attached to the front left of this wall. It has a 4-bay front with roughly hewn granite monolith piers supporting a slate roof with ridge tiles and gable ends.

A rear wing of 2 storeys was added around the 19th century to the rear left as a kitchen, with 2 gable ends and heated by a gable end stack.

The exterior presents 2 storeys in an asymmetrical 3-window front. The passage doorway has a plain chamfered granite surround with a half-glazed door, plain granite lintel and ends. To its left is a 2-light casement with plain granite lintel and end; to the left of this is a 3-light granite casement with chamfered and 2-pane lights. The first floor has two 2-light granite casements of 8 panes each with L hinges to left and centre, and a 2-light 8-pane wooden casement with L hinges to the right. The lower front wing displays two 2-light chamfered granite casements at first floor; the left one is blocked, while the right one retains stooling for the mullion only. A plain granite lintel remains at ground level over a blocked door. The left side of the front wing has 2 doors and one loading door at upper level. The gable end of the main range has a granite string course. The right side has an external weathered stack. Above the dairy outshut is a loft with a small 4-pane light. At the rear, the dairy has a 4-light granite casement, chamfered with its mullions removed and a smaller 20th-century casement inserted. Above the dairy, the roof forms a catslide with the main range. The dairy itself has a door and a 20th-century 3-light casement. A small single-storey 20th-century addition extends from the rear of the dairy. The rear kitchen wing has a gable end with an external stack to the left gable end, with an oven at its base. The ground and first floor right elevations have 20th-century windows; the first floor left has a 20th-century window. The rear gable ends are rendered; they enclose the rear stair tower.

The interior hall or kitchen at the front left has a slate floor and an end fireplace with roughly hewn granite jambs and flat chamfered lintel. Roughly chamfered cross beams without stops run across this room. The window reveals are hollow-chamfered inside. The stair tower to the rear of the passage contains a 19th-century dog-leg stair. At first floor, the feet of the principal rafters are visible; these are roughly hewn without chamfers, numbering 9 bays across the main range.

The front boundary wall and gateway form a slatestone rubble wall approximately 1½ metres high extending across the full length of the house frontage.