Henceford Farmhouse

THELBRIDGE SS 81 SW 3/250 Henceford Farmhouse - - II

Farmhouse. Probably mid-C16 with major later C16 and C17 improvements and late C19- early C20 extension. Plastered cob on rubble footings; rubble stacks topped with C20 brick; corrugated asbestos roof (formerly thatched). Long building facing south with a 4-room-and-through-passage plan, that is to say, the inner room at the left (west)end was separated from the hall by a lobby room. Projecting newel stair turret to rear of lobby. Right (service end) extended in late C19-early C20. Projecting end stack to inner room/parlour, axial stack backing onto passage to hall and rear lateral stack to service room. 2 storeys. Irregular 6-window front of C20 iron- framed casements without glazing bars. C20 door to passage right of centre and C20 French windows with glazing bars to former lobby. Roof is hipped to right and gable- ended to left. Both hall and inner rooms have original broad stone rubble chimney shafts with dripcourses and coping, now topped with brick. Good interior. The oldest apparent feature is a side-pegged jointed cruck truss over the hall. It is arguably smoke-blackened suggesting possibility of open hearth fire in original open hall. Possibly contemporary oak plank-and-muntin screen at upper end of hall with chamfered muntins roll-stopped high enough to accommodate a bench below and includes flat-arch headed doorway. House was extensively refurbished in early or mid C17 and most other exposed features appear to date from that period. Hall has rubble fireplace with a massive timber corbel carrying lintel on right side and the lintel is soffit-chamfered with straight cut stops. Hall beam chamfered with roll stops. Another plank-and-muntin screen between lobby and inner room/parlour was removed within living memory. Parlour has double-ovolo moulded crossbeams with bar- scroll stops. Rubble fireplace has replacement lintel. Partitions either side of lobby are carried up and their oak framing is exposed in roofspace. Both are identical closed trusses with unusually-shaped dovetail lap-jointed collars. Section above collars have never been filled and might be considered partly smoke-blackened. Service end has an A-frame truss with mortice, tenoned and pegged collar. Service end fireplace which includes brick oven is probably C19.

Listing NGR: SS8226111658