Levalsa Farmhouse

This substantial farmhouse originates from the early 17th century and was extensively remodelled and extended in the late 17th century, with further additions in the 18th century and alterations in the early 19th century. Few later alterations have been made.

The building is constructed of slatestone rubble, partly rendered, with the front elevation in squared granite rubble. The roof is slate with ridge tiles and gable ends. At the time of survey in November 1987, the back range had a roof partly covered in slurried scantle slate and was partly undergoing re-roofing. The house features gable end stacks with brick shafts, rear lateral stacks to right and left also with brick shafts, a gable end stack with brick shaft on the wing to the rear left, and a gable end stack with a large rubble shaft and slate weathering on the rear wing.

Plan and Development

The original house probably comprised the main front range and possibly the rear left-hand wing. During the late 17th century, the building underwent extensive remodelling: a stair tower was added at the centre behind the main range, and a service wing with a large gable end stack was built at right angles to the rear left-hand side of the back wing. Another service wing, probably added in the 18th century, stands at the left end of the main range, running parallel to the rear service wing. Together these wings form a rear courtyard.

Exterior

Main Front Range

The front elevation is symmetrical with two storeys and three windows. The ground floor has a central 20th-century porch with a pitched roof and an early 19th-century panelled inner door with overlight. To right and left are early 19th-century 16-pane sashes, formerly with sidelights; the sidelights are now blocked except for one on the left with three panes. All openings have cambered stone arches. At first floor are two early 19th-century 16-pane sashes and a central early 19th-century 12-pane sash, all with cambered stone arches.

The right gable end is in granite rubble, partly rendered, and is blind.

Early 18th-Century Service Range

Attached at the left end is the early 18th-century service range, a lower two-storey structure in slatestone rubble with brick dressings and a scantle slate roof with a hipped end. At ground floor are a two-light window with a segmental brick arch and a two-light window to the dairy with iron stanchions and a granite lintel. The first floor has a two-light window to the left. The left end of this range has plank double doors.

The rear of the service range faces the service courtyard. At ground floor is a plank door with strap hinges and a cambered arch leading into the dairy, alongside a two-light three-pane early 19th-century casement with a timber lintel. To the right, an external stone stair leads to a plank door accessing the loft. At first floor are three windows—two-light, four-light, and six-light—with 18th-century lapped glazing and crown glass.

Service Courtyard and Ranges

On the inner side of the courtyard, the rear range of the house retains a scantle slate roof and has two storeys. At ground floor is a pentice hood over a 20th-century plank door with overlight, and a 20th-century door to the right. At first floor is a late 19th-century four-pane sash with a chamfered timber lintel. The doorway pentice is carried on stone corbels, one of which is scroll-shaped.

The rear of the service courtyard is enclosed by the service wing, which has a slurried scantle slate roof on the courtyard side and was undergoing re-roofing on the outer slope at the time of survey. This range is built into the bank at the rear with a single-storey unheated outshut running along the whole rear elevation. The courtyard side has two storeys: at ground floor to the left is an early 18th-century two-light window with thick glazing bars and a plank door set under one timber lintel, with a two-light 20th-century casement to the right with a slate cill. At first floor are two mullion and transom windows, one of late 17th to early 18th-century date and one to the right with two panes below and one above. The left-hand window retains one six-pane light. Between and to the left of the windows is an irregular arrangement of square pigeon holes with slate perches. A small single-storey lean-to stands to the left.

The gable end of this range has a large external stack with a weathered rubble shaft and a curved oven projecting at the base. The rear has the single-storey outshut with a plank door with strap hinges at the outer end.

The service courtyard is enclosed by a stone rubble wall, partly rendered, with slate weathering and rendered coping. A plank door leads into the courtyard, which is cobbled.

Rear Elevations

At the rear, to the left, the main front range has a rear lateral stack with a small gable. To the right is the stair tower with a hipped roof. There is a blocked window at the left side of the stair tower with the timber lintel remaining. The rear of the stair tower has an early 19th-century 12-pane sash in an exposed box with thick glazing bars and a slate cill.

To the right is the two-storey rear wing, part of the original house, with a slurried scantle slate roof and built into the bank at the gable end. The inner side has a 20th-century three-light casement at ground floor and a late 19th-century four-pane sash at first floor. The gable end has an external stack and an 18th-century two-light casement with a timber lintel at first floor. The outer side of the wing is blind.

Interior

Ground Floor

In the front range, a central entrance passage gives access to principal rooms to right and left. The room to the right has an early 19th-century six-panelled door. The room to the left has a late 17th-century two-panelled door with bolection mouldings and a rear lateral fireplace with a 20th-century chimneypiece. At the left end of this room, an early 18th-century two-panelled fielded door leads into the dairy wing.

To the rear of the entrance passage is the late 17th-century stair tower, containing an open-well stair with barley sugar twist balusters, a wide moulded handrail with square newels, and a scroll-patterned string. The stairwell has ramped dado panelling, and the sash window lighting the stair has ovolo-moulded glazing bars. On the first landing is a two-panelled door with bolection moulding, possibly originally leading to an external stair. The ceiling over the stair is a truncated pyramid with a cornice featuring acanthus leaves and scallop shells, with one angel remaining at one corner, and a coved ceiling with a moulded central square.

Behind the front left room, a two-panelled door leads to a granite-paved passage which leads into the service courtyard to the left. This passage has chamfered ceiling beams and a corner cupboard with butterfly hinges.

First Floor

At first floor are rooms to right and left and a small central room, all with two-panelled bolection-moulded doors and bolection-moulded dado panelling. The small central room has a rear lateral fireplace with an early 19th-century chimneypiece. The room to the front right has a coved ogee-domed plaster ceiling with moulded cornice. This room is heated from a gable end fireplace with an early 19th-century grate set in an 18th-century eared architrave with bolection-moulded mantel and dentil cornice.

A passage immediately above the ground floor passage has a two-panelled bolection-moulded door at the right end and ceiling beams which are chamfered with scroll stops. The four-pane sash lighting this first floor passage has deep splayed reveals. This passage was probably originally a chamber and was divided around the late 17th century with a plank and muntin screen to form a closet or dressing room with rows of coat hooks. The chamfered and scroll-stopped beams are continuous in the closet, which has no windows. In the passage, the back of the external stack projects into the space. This flue is not used for the room at first floor to the left, which is heated from a gable end fireplace with an early 19th-century chimneypiece.

Rear Wings

The room to the rear left, behind the passage, has a two-panelled door and chamfered beams at ground floor with a 20th-century fireplace at the gable end. At first floor there are also chamfered ceiling beams.

The range at the rear of the service courtyard is a large single room. The fireplace has a chamfered wooden lintel with a cloam oven to the rear right. The ceiling has chamfered beams. Around the 19th century, a straight stair was inserted at the rear of the room, and there is a doorway to the rear left leading into the outshut. The room at first floor also has a chamfered wooden lintel with a cloam oven to the rear right and chamfered ceiling beams.

The dairy range at the front of the service courtyard has a two-room plan. The dairy has a slate floor and slate shelves, a granite trough, and roughly hewn ceiling beams. The small room at the end was probably a cart shed or stable with a loft over. At first floor there is a plank door with strap hinges between the two rooms.

Roof Structure

The roof trusses are halved and crossed at the apex and pegged. The collars are halved to the principal rafters, with two rows of purlins resting on the backs of the principal rafters. In the main house, the roof is continuous over the range to the rear of the courtyard, the rear kitchen, and the passage, forming an L-plan. The trusses have roughly hewn principal rafters halved and pegged at the apex. The collars are cambered, halved, and pegged. The top of the plasterwork ceiling over the stair tower is visible.