Shepherd'S Farmhouse

ST 11 SE CLAYHIDON 6/15 Shepherd's Farmhouse - II House, formerly a farmhouse. Late C16 with later alterations. Roughcast random rubble chert; gable-ended corrugated iron roof (the thatch survives beneath). Originally a 3-room, through-passage plan house, the service end to the left of the passage with byre beyond (the front taken as facing west). The internal division between hall and inner room has been removed, as has the early roof. One or two of the roof trusses may be of jointed cruck construction. Service end heated by an end stack with bake oven (see below); hall heated by an axial stack backing onto the passage; the inner room was originally unheated and is now heated by an internal end stack. Brick shafts to stacks. 2 window stairs, one beside the service end stack, the other between passage and hall. 2 storeys. Exterior Front (facing west): all windows with late C20 casements, and some appear to be set in early embrasures; 3 large half dormers; 4 windows to ground floor. Rear: all late C20 windows. The rear door to the passage is early, although much repaired, studded with fleur-de-lis strap hinges, and is set in a contemporary chamfered and pegged surround. Bake oven bulge between end of service room and entrance to byre. Interior: plank and muntin screen between passage and service end, carpenter's mitres, but apparently no stops to muntins (unless they have been eroded); service end side not visible. 2 blocked arched doorways led into service end, but no evidence of internal division in this room survives. Service end fireplace with large lintel, shallow chamfer, unstopped. The bake oven appears to be quite an early one, of good quality, with small bricks. Above it is a corn-drying kiln accessible at first floor level from the byre. Solid timber winder stairs. The hall was quite small with 2 cross ceiling beams, both of them with scroll stops and deeply chamfered only to the side facing into the hall; shallow chamfer to fireplace lintel. Original newel post to winder stairs. No clear evidence of the hall/inner room partition, although it was presumably attached to the unchamfered side of the higher end hall ceiling beam. Roughly chamfered ceiling cross beam to inner room.

Listing NGR: ST1621514994