Scoble

House, formerly farmhouse. Built circa 1720–40 with an early 19th-century addition. The earliest surviving part is a single-depth early 18th-century range of slatestone rubble with finely jointed walls. This consisted originally of two slightly asymmetrical rooms with a central staircase hall, built as a parlour wing to a pre-existing range which has since been demolished. In the early 19th century, the earlier range was replaced by two parallel wings set at right angles to the 18th-century block. The front wing contained an entrance hall to the left and a large room to the right, while the rear wing housed the kitchen and service rooms.

Exterior: The 18th-century range is five storeys including basement and attic, with sprocketted eaves and hipped slate roof. Brick stacks stand at either end of this range and one to each rear wing. The rear wings are two storeys. The garden front is symmetrical with four windows, featuring late 19th or early 20th-century 4-pane sashes, except for 2-light casements to the basement. The top storey windows are smaller. Flat stone voussoir arches crown the windows on the two principal storeys, with slightly cambered arches to the basement. The top two windows to the left of centre, which light the staircase, appear originally to have extended further down. The basement right-hand window opening is blocked, and to the left of centre is a 20th-century plank door. A modillion eaves cornice runs across the front. The right-hand rear wing forms an asymmetrical two-window entrance front with early 19th-century 12-pane hornless sashes on the first floor and a contemporary 16-pane tripartite sash below to the right. To its left is an early 19th-century porch, probably glazed later, with flat roof, corner pilasters, and a 20th-century glazed door in the side.

Interior: The 18th-century range is very complete with high-quality fittings. Double doors lead to it from the 19th-century range. The slightly larger ground floor room has complete original fielded panelling with key fret cornice, incorporating panelled shutters, two doorcases (one blind, included for symmetry) with 6-panelled doors, and a fireplace with eared architrave, Victorian horseshoe grate, and marble surround. To either side of the fireplace, panels are hinged as though for cupboards, though no recess exists behind them. The contemporary plaster ceiling displays a geometric design with archaic high-relief floral and foliage decoration. The smaller ground floor room has a simpler plaster ceiling of central oval with surrounding panels, early 19th-century ceiling band and doorcase, and Victorian fireplace. The staircase hall contains three pedimented doorcases. The 18th-century dogleg staircase rises the full height of the house with open string, carved tread ends, a column newel, and turned balusters. Simple 18th-century plaster decoration adorns the ceilings over the staircase and at its base. The principal first floor room features a decorative 18th-century plaster ceiling, less elaborate than the room below but more ornate than the smaller ground floor room. It retains panelled shutters, window seats, and an 18th-century wooden chimneypiece with eared architrave and pulvinated frieze, with moulded plaster cornice. Original A-frame trusses survive. This is a slightly provincial but nonetheless interesting example of an early to mid 18th-century gentleman's house with a remarkably complete interior that has not undergone extreme 20th-century modernisation.