Lower Dunscombe Farmhouse

Lower Dunscombe Farmhouse is an 18th-century farmhouse, possibly a remodelling of an earlier house. It has a colourwashed and rendered exterior, with an asbestos slate roof that is gabled at both ends. The right end features a lower roof made of corrugated asbestos. There is a left end stack, a rear lateral stack with a tall shaft, and an end stack to the rear right, which is accompanied by a single-storey lean-to.

The main range of the farmhouse is single depth, containing two principal heated rooms to the left of a through passage, and an unheated room at the right end under a lower roofline. The centre and left side of the main range rise to three storeys, with a projecting rounded stair turret on the rear wall next to the stack that heats the centre room. A rear door from the through passage leads to a single-storey kitchen. The arrangement of the stacks and the overall layout suggest that this was originally a pre-18th-century three-room and through passage plan, with the lower end to the right. It was remodelled in the 18th century, adding an extra storey to the hall and inner room while leaving the lower end at its original height. The date of the kitchen addition at the rear right is unclear.

The farmhouse features an asymmetrical three-window front with regular fenestration. The wide plank and stud front door is located at the extreme right, leading into the through passage. The ground floor includes a left window with a two-light casement containing eight panes per light, a second window from the left with a two-light casement containing six panes per light, and a fixed window with nine panes to the left of the front door. The first floor has three two-light casements with six panes per light and three additional two-light casements with two panes per light.

Inside, the principal room has a 20th-century grate that may conceal an earlier fireplace, along with a wide newel stair with timber treads in the rear turret. There are two 18th-century two-panel doors and two 19th-century iron gates and chimneypieces on the first floor. The newel stair continues to the second floor, which is unheated and was likely used for servants. This farmhouse is a late vernacular example with an unusual design, and it features attractive elements such as the old casement windows and the rear stair turret.