Northcote Farmhouse

Northcote Farmhouse

A farmhouse with late medieval origins, substantially remodelled in the 17th century and further extended and altered probably in the 18th or 19th century, with a 1980s rear addition. The building is constructed of colourwashed rendered cob and stone rubble with an asbestos slate roof, gabled at the ends, and features end stacks and an axial stack (formerly lateral) with a stone shaft.

The present plan comprises a south-facing single-depth main range, three rooms wide, with an entrance positioned left of centre. A rear centre wing at right angles to the main range currently serves as a store, and a 20th-century single-storey addition occupies the right angle between the rear wing and the rear right of the main range.

The building's evolution is complex. The medieval structure was originally aligned north to south, at right angles to the present main range. One end of this earlier house has been subsequently roofed over to align with the present east-west orientation. The earliest surviving structure on plan comprises the centre room of the main range and the rear wing. Originally an open hall house, the three southernmost bays were open to the roof timbers, with the northern end (now forming the rear wing) possibly always divided into storeys, though the roof timbers here have been replaced. The centre room contains a deeply chamfered step-stopped axial beam mortised into a chamfered cross beam with reeded stops, and a similarly chamfered half-beam against what is now the south end wall (formerly external). The cross beam chamfers are stopped on either side of the junction with the axial beam, suggesting it may replace an earlier beam of larger scantling. A 20th-century grate probably conceals an earlier fireplace. The rear wing displays deeply chamfered step-stopped cross beams. The roof retains two smoke-blackened jointed cruck trusses from the medieval period and a closed truss, sooted on the south side. The collars are mortised into the principals and a diagonally-set ridge survives in part.

Carpentry details suggest the south end was floored in the 17th century when a lateral stack was added, now axial to the new main range. The medieval arrangement and its 17th-century remodelling are not entirely clear, though the most probable interpretation is that there was originally a hall to the south, a storeyed inner end to the north, with the lower end and passage dismantled from the south. Evidence of a former hipped end to the southern of the two medieval rooms suggests the present front wall of the main range may mark the end wall of the medieval house. The dating of the east and west ends of the present main range is problematic (the east end was not inspected), though the east end is said to contain a boxed-in cross beam and may be 18th or 19th century.

The building is two storeys with an asymmetrical four-window front displaying regular fenestration. A gabled porch positioned left of centre leads into a passage or stair hall. Windows are 2 and 3-light 20th-century timber casements with 2 panes per light.

Northcote is first documented in the 14th century, in 1332 when Rogo de Notheracote appears as one of the principal inhabitants of the parish.