East Clift House West Clift House

East Clift House and West Clift House, Antony

Farmhouse, now divided into farmhouse and house. Probably early 16th-century origin, substantially remodelled in 1650 (dated on fireplace in inner room), with some 19th-century and 20th-century alterations. Built of rubble, rendered, with slate roofs featuring large rendered stacks: at gable end to left, front lateral hall stack and front lateral stack to lower end, and gable end stack to rear wing to right.

The building was possibly originally an open-hall house with 3 rooms and through passage, with upper end to left and lower end to right. In 1650, the front bay of the hall and inner room was extended, doorframes, granite fireplaces and plasterwork of this date were installed, a stair tower was added to the rear of the inner room, and a rear wing was added to the lower end. The lower end has a lower roof level; there was formerly a fireplace in the hall backing on to the passage, probably disused when the front lateral stack was constructed. Probably mid-18th century a rear outshut was built, and 19th-century alterations were made to the windows. The house was divided, probably late 19th or early 20th century, with Clift Farmhouse being the upper end, and the passage and lower end forming Clift Cottage.

The front is two storeys with 2 windows to the left: at ground floor a 3-light casement and 20-pane sash, at first floor two 2-light 19th-century casements; the roof is hipped to the right over a projecting bay. The wall steps back to the hall stack with oven at base, with a 3-light casement to the right at ground floor and 2-light casement at first floor. The roof level steps down over the passage with a 20th-century porch with pitched roof and door, a single light to the right and above, the front lateral kitchen stack, and a single light at first floor to the right. At the left end is a wide external stack. The rear of the inner room has a 2-light casement at ground and first floor; the stair tower is set back to the left with a 20th-century door, at first floor a 3-light timber casement with ovolo mullions. The gable end of the stair tower is in slatestone rubble with a 20th-century 2-light window at first floor, and a single-storey rubble outhouse is attached to the end. The right end was rebuilt mid-19th century with 3 gabled dormers, 3-light and central 2-light central door with segmental head, 4-light casement to left and 3-light to right with brick segmental heads.

The rear has a 17th-century 2-storey one-room plan rear kitchen wing to the left with wide external gable end stack; between this wing and the stair tower to the right is a 2-storey rear service addition with pitched roof, also with external stack. This has a small 4-pane light under eaves to left and 2-light casement to right, 2-light casement at ground floor right, and a later 19th-century single-storey addition to rear of the stack. The outhouse attached to the end right has a blocked door and ventilation slit in the gable end, with brick ridge stack.

Interior: Both houses have unusually fine features of the 1650 remodelling. The through passage has a stone floor; the doorway to the hall to the left has an ovolo-moulded frame with double round and straight cut stops, 8-panelled door with raised fillets and studs, and strap hinges, all 17th-century in type. Clift Cottage has a straight stair inserted to the right of the passage and a 2-room plan, with 19th-century hob grates in first-floor fireplace.

In Clift Farmhouse, the inner room has a granite fireplace, ovolo-moulded, with a central shield with raised carved chalice and jug with initials RWGW 1650. The door between the inner room and the stair tower is of 1650 type, with decorative metal plate on wooden lock. A similar door between the stair tower (which forms an ante-room) and the hall, with 3 steps down, has fleur-de-lys strap hinges. The hall has ovolo-moulded ceiling beams and an ovolo-moulded doorway to the rear addition. The stair tower has an unusually wide dog-leg stair; at first floor, a similar doorway leads to a room to the end left, with ovolo-moulded and scroll-stopped frame. This room has a plaster frieze with roll-mouldings and a granite fireplace with plaster overmantel. The overmantel has a scrolled surround to a circular cartouche showing the pelican in her piety, the fireplace with scroll-mouldings to jambs and triangular motif in frieze.

The hall chamber was divided in two in 1650; both doors are similar but narrower, without stops to ovolo-moulded frames. The room to the left has a similar plaster frieze; the room to the right has a 19th-century fireplace using the flue from the end stack not the front lateral stack. There is a small chamber over the stair well with a 2-bay roof with principal rafters and one row of purlins, one principal having moulded coving to its inner side. A 6-bay roof over the hall has principal rafters and cambered pegged collars, with apexes cut for a 19th-century ridge purlin and 2 rows of purlins. The rest of the roof is not accessible.