Heathfield Down Farmhouse With Attached Barn And Cottage

Heathfield Down Farmhouse with attached barn and cottage is a large farmhouse with an attached barn and storage building, dating to the early 19th century. It is constructed of rubble, with the front elevation rendered, brick stacks, and a slurried slate roof. The building is a long hipped block, comprising the farmhouse on the left, a central storage unit, and living accommodation on the right, with a basement, two storeys, and an attic.

The front elevation has three windows, with 16-pane sashes. The top floor window on the right has been replaced by a 2-light casement. A central 6-panel door, partly glazed and under a transom light, is set within the remains of a glazed gabled porch. The left gable has a large opening with a segmental head leading to the basement, and, centred, a 12-pane sash window beneath a 2-light casement, both with segmental heads, and a low, louvred opening for a 2-light casement. The back elevation features 3-light and 2-light casements with glazing bars, and a 2-light window low on the right side. At the first floor, two paired 8-pane sashes are present. There’s a porch with an arched opening and flat roof over the back door. A stack is located on the left gable, and another on the ridge at the right.

The interior of the house is not generally accessible; however, a long, narrow cellar, featuring a heavy beam over an opening at the back has been noted. To the right of the main house, a three-storey unit presents various windows: at ground floor, a pair of garage doors, a 3-light window, two small 2-light windows, and a further pair of doors under a wooden lintel. The middle level includes a 2-light window, a loading opening, and two small 2-light casements. At eaves level, a blocked opening, three large 4-light casements, and a small 2-light window are found. A brick stack is present at the front eaves; this end is hipped.

Box eaves are evident on the front and right return, which is rendered, and feature various 2- and 3-light casements, with a 20th-century lean-to porch providing access to a stable door. The back elevation mainly has 2-light casements, with one 3-light at ground floor and one at the second floor. Two small eaves stacks are constructed in brick. The building’s lowest level is built against a ground slope, resulting in window cills close to ground level.

A portion of the central section has a low ground floor with a central spine wall, and an upper level open to roof trusses. The building is an unusual combination of farmhouse, storage, and a labourer’s cottage, apparently externally much as built.