Home Humber And Garden Walls Adjoining The House

This is a former farmhouse, likely dating to the late 17th or early 18th century, although it may incorporate elements of an earlier building or have been remodeled from it. The exterior is whitewashed stone with a slate roof, hipped at the ends, and end stacks. A projecting stack is on the left side, possibly containing a former bread oven incorporated as a lean-to, and a rear axial stack serves an outshut. The plan is symmetrical, with a main block featuring two principal heated rooms and a wide entrance hall containing the staircase. A kitchen is located in the outshut on the rear left, and a late 20th-century extension to the rear right forms a separate dwelling, known as Little Humber.

The front facade is symmetrical, with three bays and the central bay projecting and gabled, featuring an oculus with radiating glazing bars in the gable. A panelled front door, flanked by pilasters and topped with a decorative shell hood supported by brackets with cherub's head carvings, is centrally positioned. Single-light windows with 20th-century brick sills are on either side of the door, with two-light casements and small panes in the outer bays. Short sections of ramped garden walls adjoin the front of the house to the left and right.

The interior retains a significant amount of original features, including a complete set of late 17th/early 18th century panelled doors of varying designs. The bottom flight of the staircase features a balustrade with moulded balusters, a handrail, an open string, and a ball finial to the newel post. The room on the right side of the ground floor has a plastered-over crossbeam, a 19th-century chimney-piece with an iron grate, and an early 18th-century china cupboard on the rear wall. The room on the left side contains a chamfered spine beam with run-out stops, which may be 18th or 17th century, or possibly re-used. A mid-19th century chimney-piece is also present. The kitchen has a large open fireplace with a segmental arched iron lintel, and a smaller fireplace on the rear wall feeding into the same stack. The second flight of stairs is panelled around the stairwell, with the panelling possibly re-sited. There is a flight of stairs leading to the attic storey, with simpler plank doors. The roof features massive, pegged collar rafter trusses, originally with lap dovetailed collars, and supported by vertical posts. The trusses appear to pre-date the late 17th century and may be re-used timbers. This is a high-quality house with notable external and interior features.