Horsebrook Farmhouse Including Garden Area Wall And Gate Adjoining South

Horsebrook Farmhouse, North Huish

A farmhouse comprising a late 18th or early 19th century remodelling and extension of an earlier, probably 17th century house. The building is constructed of plastered stone rubble with an asbestos slate roof with gabled ends. The projecting gable and right-hand stack are rendered, while the left-hand stack is exposed stone rubble. An axial stack to the left of centre has its shaft rendered where it projects in front of the ridge.

The house follows a long, single-depth plan of four rooms. To the right is a room heated from a gable end stack. To the right of centre sits a wide entrance hall with a stair projection at the back. To the left of centre is a parlour, heated from the axial stack. At the left end is another room, heated from a gable end stack, with direct entry from a front doorway. An outshut extends from the back of the right-hand room.

The building's evolution reflects significant remodelling in the late 18th or early 19th century. The right-hand room was originally the kitchen of the 17th century house. During the remodelling, a wide entrance hall with a rear stair projection was created where a passage had previously existed, and a parlour was formed to the left of the entrance hall. The room at the left end is probably a late 18th or early 19th century extension, providing separate accommodation. The remodelling also included adding a kitchen outshut at the back of the right-hand room, allowing that space to be used as a parlour. The eaves were probably raised at this time, and the front was refenestrated with sashes.

The exterior displays two storeys with an asymmetrical four-window range; the right-hand end of the front is set back slightly. The windows are circa early 19th century 16-pane sashes, except for a small 20th century casement to the left of the ground floor. The principal doorway, to the right of centre, has a 19th century flush panel door with glazed top panels and is sheltered by a circa late 19th century porch with a scantle slate hipped roof supported on 20th century wooden posts. Another doorway at the left end has a painted granite lintel.

The rear elevation shows the main roof carried down over the outshut to the left, with a rectangular stair projection in the angle to its right. This projection has an early 19th century 8-pane casement on the first floor and a 20th century casement on the ground floor.

Interior features include a large fireplace in the right-hand room with a chamfered timber lintel with straight cut stops, dressed slate rubble jambs, and two ovens built of corbelled slate. The room to the left of the entrance hall contains a late 18th or early 19th century chimneypiece with a moulded architrave and cornice mantelshelf. The staircase across the back of the entrance hall, within the projection, is late 18th or early 19th century with a balustrade at the top featuring stick balusters and chamfered square newels. Early 19th century interior joinery survives, including panelled doors.

The roof structure shows collars halved, lapped and pegged to the faces of the principals in the centre and right-hand half. One collar is an earlier principal reused, retaining a mortice for a threaded purlin.

The listing also includes a front garden area wall and gate, dating to circa the early 19th century. The wall is constructed of low stone rubble with rounded corners at the ends. Stone rubble square-on-plan gate piers stand to the right of centre, in front of the house doorway, supporting a 19th century wrought iron gate with a curved brace and scrolled top rail.