Broad Oak Farmhouse

This is a late 18th century farmhouse, with 19th century additions and alterations. It is constructed of rendered brick, with a tiled, gable-ended roof, brick end stacks, and a further stack to the rear. The building has a roughly L-shaped plan, comprising a main range aligned north west - south east and a long rear wing to the south east. Originally a single-depth building, the roof was raised in the 19th century to create attic accommodation. A two-storey parallel range was added along the length of the main building during the 19th century.

The front (south west) elevation is symmetrical, with three bays, featuring a central entrance under a pedimented door hood with a part-glazed, panelled door. Three-light sash windows with vertical glazing bars flank the entrance, with a similar single-light sash above. Two gabled dormers are set into the roof, each featuring side-hung timber casements. The rear elevation is more vernacular, with an irregular arrangement of timber casement windows and a narrow projecting central bay.

Inside, the principal ground floor rooms retain 18th century fireplaces and chamfered ceiling beams with run-out stops. One room contains a china niche with a raised and fielded door to a cupboard above. The house includes 18th and 19th century joinery, such as panelled doors and architraves. A close string staircase with Tuscan-column newel posts and turned balusters leads to a spine corridor at the first floor. One chamber has a small chimneypiece with a cupboard to the left. A further staircase, with a plank door at the first floor, provides access to the attic. The roof structure is tenoned-purlin.

To the front of the property, a brick-built boundary wall features moulded brick copings. A gateway, opposite the house entrance, is flanked by brick piers with stone caps, supporting plain timber gates. The farmhouse’s history is not well documented, but its fabric and detailing indicate a late 18th century origin, with 19th century roof raising, a parallel range addition, and a rear wing.