Hele Farmhouse

Farmhouse. Dating from the early 17th century, with a probable 18th-century extension, and modernisation, rearrangement, and enlargement in the mid-19th century. The main block is constructed of plastered cob on rubble footings, while the rear block is of exposed local stone rubble. There are two stone rubble stacks, one disused with a 20th-century brick top, and an interlocking concrete tile roof, originally thatched. The house is L-shaped, with a three-room main block facing south-east. The original early 17th-century house comprised the central and left (south-western) rooms, with a large axial stack between them, serving back-to-back fireplaces and a front lobby entrance. A third room was likely added to the right (north-eastern) end in the 18th century. The 19th-century alterations involved rearranging the end stack to the 18th-century room, inserting a new front door, entrance hall, and staircase at the right end of the central room. The rear block, containing service rooms and stores, was probably added at the same time at right angles to the rear of the left room, and may have replaced an early 17th-century service wing. The building is two storeys high, with a regular, nearly symmetrical five-window front of circa 1970 casements with glazing bars. One ground-floor window on the left end was replaced in circa 1984 with a PVC casement with glazing bars. Both front doors also date from circa 1984. The roof and rear block are gable-ended. The rear elevation contains circa 1970 casements with glazing bars, and on the inner side of the rear block, a flight of external stone stairs leads to a first-floor doorway. Internally, the early 17th-century section is relatively well-preserved. Both fireplaces here are blocked by 20th-century grates, but the original fireplaces are said to survive. The central room has a large crossbeam with broad soffit-chamfers and truncated pyramid stops. The left room features a 12-panel intersecting beam ceiling with soffit chamfers. The original roof structure over these two rooms is largely intact, comprising A-frame trusses with pegged dovetail lap-jointed collars and carrying two sets of threaded purlins. Disused mortises on the underside of the principal rafters indicate that the trusses originally were supported by upright posts set into the cob walls. The 18th-century addition has a soffit-chamfered and run-out-stopped crossbeam. The fireplace in this room is blocked, and the roof is inaccessible. Most of the joinery throughout the main block is from the 19th century. The 18th-century addition room has panelled window shutters, and the doorway through the cob crosswall from that room to the 19th-century entrance hall has panelled reveals. The staircase has stick balusters, and all the doors off the first-floor corridor are 19th-century.