Clifthayne Farmhouse

Clifthayne Farmhouse is a farmhouse dating from the mid-17th century, substantially refurbished in the mid-19th century. It is built of roughcast local stone and flint rubble, with stone rubble stacks topped with 19th and 20th-century brick, and has a thatched roof. The original plan was a 4-room-and-through-passage layout, built down a hillslope, with the room at the north-west end terraced into the slope and originally used as an unheated dairy. To its right is a small parlour, followed by a kitchen; an axial stack between these rooms served back-to-back fireplaces. The principal parlour occupies the right end of the house and has a gable-end stack. A through-passage connects the kitchen with the principal parlour. The mid-19th century refurbishment obscured much of the original layout, though the small parlour, kitchen, and principal parlour section are believed to date back to the 17th century, with the kitchen originally being the only heated room. The house is two storeys high with lean-to outshots at the rear. The front has an irregular 4-window façade, mostly with 20th-century casements with glazing bars; one 19th-century casement with rectangular panes of leaded glass is located on the first floor at the right end. Similar 19th-century windows are present at the rear. The front door is located to the right of centre and is set within a contemporary gabled porch with a 20th-century part-glazed door. The main roof is gable-ended. Inside, the small parlour and kitchen retain 17th-century crossbeams, featuring deep chamfers with run-out stops. The principal parlour's crossbeam is contemporary but with narrower chamfers and run-out stops. The kitchen has a large stone rubble fireplace with a chamfered and step-stopped oak lintel; the remaining fireplaces are 19th-century brick constructions. While much of the joinery is from the 19th century, some plank doors are likely older. The roof structure was not inspected, but straight principals visible below the first floor ceiling suggest 17th-century A-frame trusses, with substantial scantling.