Hartford Barton

Hartford Barton is a house, originally a coaching inn known as the Nags Head. The core of the building probably dates from the late 17th century, with alterations made in the 18th and early 19th centuries, and renovation work carried out in the 20th century. It is constructed of cob and stone rubble, with the front elevation whitewashed and rendered. The roof is slate, hipped at the ends (formerly thatched), with a rear lateral stack to the main range and an axial stack to the right of centre.

The house’s layout is an L shape; the main range faces south, containing three rooms with an internal outshut and a through passage which includes an 18th-century staircase. A rear left wing projects at a right angle to the main range. To the right of the main range is an early 19th-century parlour with an unheated service room at the extreme right, accessible only from the ground floor. To the left are the former tap room, heated by the rear lateral stack, and a kitchen in the outshut behind, also heated by the same stack. A further unheated service room is at the extreme left end. The rear left wing was formerly a dairy or larder, with a loft above.

The front elevation is asymmetrical, with four window bays. A gabled 19th-century porch provides access to the through passage and contains a 19th-century front door. Flanking the door are 20th-century timber casements with glazing bars. Ground floor windows to the left and the four first-floor windows are 19th-century 2-light casements with glazing bars. A first-floor 18th-century 2-light casement with square leaded panes is visible on the left return. The rear elevation has two 20th-century roof dormers.

Inside, the through passage has slate paving and the 18th-century staircase features turned balusters, a closed string, and a flat-topped handrail. The room to the left has a chamfered crossbeam with scroll nick stops at the south end only, an open fireplace with a handmade brick lintel, and stud partition walls with brick infill. The room adjacent to that has an axial crossbeam with jewel step stops as a decorative feature. The 19th-century parlour has a timber chimney-piece with a dentil frieze to the cornice. In the kitchen of the rear outshut is a fireplace with a bread oven, and what may be a proving cupboard built into the wall. The roof is of 'A' frame construction, though this was not visible at the time of the 1988 survey.