Little Venhay

Little Venhay is a house that underwent early 19th-century remodeling of an earlier building, likely from the 17th century. It is constructed of whitewashed, rendered cob and stone, topped with a slate roof that is half-hipped at the left end and gabled at the right end. The house features a projecting stack at the left end, a stack at the right end, and an axial stack. The layout consists of a single depth main range that is three rooms wide, with an entrance located to the right of center leading into a passage. There is also a rear outshut that encloses a gabled stair projection at the rear right. The main range includes a kitchen on the left, a living room in the center, and a parlour on the right, while the outshut provides service rooms and a rear entrance hall. This layout indicates that a 17th-century three-room house with a through passage has been updated in the early 19th century.

The exterior presents an asymmetrical garden front with four windows, featuring a half-glazed panelled door to the right of center and a 20th-century French window to the left. The first-floor window on the left is a three-light small-pane timber casement from the 19th or 20th century, while the other windows are early 19th-century Gothick arched casements with small panes. The rear elevation displays the gable of the stair projection, which has curly bargeboards and a Gothick stair window that matches those on the front. Additionally, there is a gabled rear porch attached to the outshut.

Inside, the two left-hand rooms have open fireplaces, likely from the 19th century; the kitchen fireplace features an iron lintel, while the living room has a timber lintel. The parlour fireplace is flanked by wall recesses, and the parlour also boasts a fine early 19th-century panelled door. A notable feature is the fine stick baluster staircase with a ramped, wreathed handrail. The outshut includes an attractive rear entrance hall with pitched stone paving laid in diamond patterns. The roof space has not been inspected. Overall, Little Venhay is a traditional farmhouse with appealing early 19th-century remodeling and interesting exterior and interior features.