Sutton Farmhouse

Sutton Farmhouse is a farmhouse that dates from the late 16th century to early 17th century, with the possibility of an even earlier core. It has been significantly modernised in the 19th century. The structure is made of plastered cob on rubble footings, with stone rubble or cob stacks topped with 19th and 20th century brick, and a 20th century concrete tile roof that was formerly thatched.

The farmhouse features a long five-room range facing south. The central and left (west) sections are derived from the original three-room-and-through-passage plan, with the inner room located at the left end. The two rooms on the right are extensions that were added in one or two stages, with the first extension dating from the late 16th to early 17th century. There is an end stack for the inner room, an axial stack backing onto the former passage to the hall, and the service end room has an axial stack (formerly the end stack) along with another axial stack positioned between the two right rooms. The 19th century stairs now occupy the rear of the passage, which also features secondary outshots at the back. The main block is two storeys high.

The front of the farmhouse has a regular but not symmetrical arrangement of four windows, featuring 19th and 20th century casements without glazing bars, although the ground floor windows contain diamond-shaped leaded glass. The left end, which is the inner room, is blind. The front passage door, located to the left of centre, now has a 19th century panelled door with panelled reveals behind a 20th century gabled porch. There is also a secondary 19th century door at the right end. The roof is gable-ended.

Interior access was limited during the survey, but it appears that most of the ground floor has been modernised in the 19th and 20th centuries. The fireplaces are blocked by later grates, and most beams are boxed in. However, the original plan suggests that many 16th or 17th century features may be concealed beneath later plaster. The passage includes a 17th century soffit-chamfered and scroll-stopped crossbeam, while the inner extension room has a late 16th to early 17th century soffit-chamfered axial beam with late step stops. According to the owner, the original roof trusses are still intact, and the house has been visited by Charles Hulland, who proposed a 15th century date for its construction, although it is unclear if the roof timbers show signs of being smoke-blackened.