Higher Venn

Higher Venn is a house that was originally a farmhouse, built in the mid-17th century and modernised around 1970. The structure is made of plastered cob on rubble footings, with stone stacks topped by 20th-century brick and a slate roof that was formerly thatch. The house has three rooms and faces south, away from the road. The central and left (west) rooms create a lobby entrance with back-to-back fireplaces situated under an axial stack. The right room, which features a projecting end stack, may be an addition and is separated from the other rooms by a thick cob crosswall. The house is two storeys high and has a four-window front with 16-pane sashes from around 1970. There is also a slate-roofed conservatory added to the right end and a panelled door to the left of centre, immediately next to a broad pilaster. The roof is hipped at both ends. Inside, the house retains many features from the mid-17th century. The left end room has two elm crossbeams, while the centre room has one; all are chamfered with scroll stops, as are the oak lintels of both back-to-back fireplaces. The left fireplace includes a large stone side oven. The roof space is inaccessible, and there are 1970 extensions at the rear.