Rock Farm Farmhouse And Adjoining Outhouse

Rock Farm Farmhouse and Adjoining Outhouse

A farmhouse and adjoining outhouse dating from the 16th century with 17th century improvements and major mid-19th century refurbishment. The building is constructed of plastered cob on rubble footings with some 19th century brickwork, stone stacks with 19th century brick tops, and a thatched roof. It is L-shaped in plan.

The main block faces north and retains the original 3-room-and-through-passage plan with a single bay extension to a service room on the east end (left of front). A small inner room is located within, and a rear block extends behind the hall and inner room, with an outbuilding attached to its gable end. The building now stands at 2 storeys throughout. A lateral stack sits to the rear of the hall, gable end stacks serve the rear block and inner room, and an axial stack is positioned below the service room (formerly the gable end).

The front elevation is 4 windows wide. A central main door leads to the passage and features a 19th century 6-panel door with overlight, panelled reveals and a wooden doorcase with an entablature that projects as a small hood. To the right of the main door, a 2-window section containing 2- and 3-light casements (3 of which are 19th century with original glazing bars) marks the hall and inner room. To the left of the main door, all windows are 19th century 16-pane sashes. At the left end, a door into the store preserves a reused late 16th to early 17th century moulded oak door frame with a poorly preserved contemporary plank door featuring moulded cover-strips forming 9 panels and iron strap hinges with fleur-de-lys finials. The exposed brick left gable end wall contains a late 16th to early 17th century oak 3-light window frame with ovolo-moulded mullions, a central iron casement, vertical iron bars and diamond pane leaded glass, which has been reset. The roof is hipped to the right with a large stack projecting from the end wall.

The rear elevation includes a rear passage door and doorcase identical to the front. At the right end stands a large 19th century round-headed stair window containing a sash with glazing bars and margin panes, protected internally by 4 vertical iron bars.

The interior of the main block is largely the result of 19th century refurbishment. The former inner room was converted to a kitchen and the former service room to a drawing room. A new main stair was provided in the extension at the east end, featuring geometric construction with open string, stick balusters and a mahogany handrail. The roof is inaccessible, but its fossilized layout suggests that much of the early structure remains hidden behind 19th century plaster.

The rear wing escaped modernisation and retains mostly late 16th to early 17th century features. A newel stair adjoins the main block, with ovolo-moulded and step-stopped door frames. The first floor landing includes an ovolo-moulded and cleaved roll-stopped door frame to the chamber over the inner room and a contemporary 9-panel door to the rear block chamber. A chamfered and step-stopped cross beam supports the structure, and a massive stone fireplace occupies the gable end with an oak lintel canted back with the same finish to the soffit. The roof above is carried on side-pegged jointed cruck trusses spanning 2 bays. A contemporary door frame to the left of the fireplace leads into a small cob-walled and thatch-roofed 2-storey outbuilding, the interior of which was not inspected.

The Furze family are recorded as owning a portion of the property in 1627.