West Leigh Farmhouse (East)

COLDRIDGE WEST LEIGH SS 60 NE 1/41 West Leigh Farmhouse (east) - (formerly Heards Cottages) - II

Farmhouse. Late C16-early C17 with later C17 improvements, partly rebuilt in C19. Plastered cob on rubble footings; stone rubble or cob stacks topped with C19 and C20 brick; thatch roof and corrugated iron and asbestos to outshots. House faces east and is apparently derived from a 3-room-and-through-passage plan with inner room at right (north) end. Rear of passage blocked by C17 newel stair (maybe this was the original arrangement). The service room end was rebuilt and raised in height in C19. Inner room has projecting end stack, hall has axial stack backing onto the passage and service end room has a rear lateral stack. Outshots across whole of rear and rising to 2 storeys behind service end. These appear to be mostly C20 rebuilds. Main house is 2 storeys. Irregular 3-window front of C19 and C20 casements, the latest without glazing bars, and including one late C17 oak window-frame to right of passage door; it is a small flat-faced single light. The C19 casement above, the only first floor window this side has a thatch eyebrow over. The hall window is in a projecting bay with the roof carried down over. The main passage door has a plank door behind a C20 conservatory with monopitch roof of corrugated asbestos roof. C20 doorway inserted toward right end into former inner room with monopitch and corrugated plastic roofed porch. Most other windows on sides and rear are C20. Interior: the winder stair to rear of passage rises round a newel post with chamfered edges and late step stops suggesting an early C17 date. Plank door at feet of stairs is probably early C18 and is hung on H-L hinges. Hall has large rubble fireplace with high soffit-chamfered oak lintel. Half beam across chimney breast is mid C17 with soffit-chamfer and runout-scroll stops, probably mid C17. Cob crosswall at upper end of hall is lined with C17 oak-panelled wainscotting above a bench. In the inner room is probably late C17 axial beam; it is soffit- chamfered with cut diagonal stops. The fireplace here is blocked, as too is a cream oven in the back of the hall cross wall. No carpentry detail is exposed in the service end. All appears C19. Roof not accessible but a late C16-early C17 (maybe earlier) side-pegged jointed cruck shows over the hall.

Listing NGR: SS6881005602