Higher Colenso Old Farmhouse

The farmhouse dates from the 18th century, likely incorporating elements of an earlier building. It is constructed of painted rubble walls with a slurried scantle slate roof, originally thatched. Brick chimneys are located on the gable end and over a thick rubble stack in the back kitchen. The layout suggests a possible pre-18th century origin with gable ends still visible. During the 18th century, the house was remodelled with two rooms at the front, separated by a cross passage. An outshut was added to the right-hand room, containing a staircase at the rear of the passage, accessible from the outshut. Later, around the late 18th or early 19th century, a second outshut was added behind the left-hand room to form a back kitchen.

The south front has a near-symmetrical appearance with three windows and a central doorway. The doorway features a 19th-century six-panel door, and there are four-pane horned sash windows. The interior remains largely unchanged since the 18th century, featuring original floors supported by bowtell-moulded beams, original softwood muntin and plank partitions, and two-panel doors. A large fireplace, possibly with a blocked oven, is present in the back kitchen, alongside a copper. The roof structure dates to the late 19th century when the slate roof replaced the thatch and the roof pitch was lowered.