Drake'S Farm And St Ida'S

Drake's Farm and St Ida's is a farmhouse, originally divided into two dwellings, dating to approximately the late 17th century, with later 20th-century renovations. The construction is a mix of colourwashed rendered cob and stone, with a slate roof. Five brick chimney stacks are present.

The house has a single-depth main range with a crosswing at the left end and a rear wing. The crosswing and the leftmost room of the main range are the oldest parts, likely representing the hall and parlour wing of a late 17th-century house. The hall was originally heated by a central stack, and the parlour by an end stack at the front. Few original features remain visible in the rest of the building, which has been re-roofed, but the right-hand end of the main range retains a chamfered spine beam with run-out stops. The main range probably originally had a two- or three-room layout with a through passage. The rear wing appears to be a 19th-century kitchen wing, with a lateral chimney stack, and an adjoining lean-to that has been converted into a 20th-century kitchen.

The front of the house has an asymmetrical three-window arrangement; the roof on the right end of the main range is hipped, while the crosswing has a gabled front. There is a lean-to porch to the left of centre, with a front door leading to a narrow passage behind the hall stack. A small gabled turret is located in the angle between the crosswing and main range and is clad in slate on the right side. The windows are 20th-century casements with multiple panes. A single ground-floor and first-floor three-light casement with eight panes per light is located on the right return of the crosswing.

Inside, the leftmost room of the main range has a deeply chamfered unstopped cross beam and a large open fireplace with breccia jambs; the lintel has been cut away, and the fireplace is open to the cambered relieving arch above. An adjacent recess likely originally contained a newel stair. The parlour retains a late 17th-century ceiling of decorated plasterwork, including a frieze and motifs of lions and roses, although the fireplace has a 20th-century grate. Two other ground-floor rooms also have chamfered cross beams. The plaster ceiling is a feature not previously noted.