Borough Farmhouse Including Adjoining Cider House To North-East

SX 86 NW 2/81

BROADHEMPSTON BROADHEMPSTON Borough Farmhouse including adjoining cider house to north-east

GV II

Farmhouse. Mid-late C16 with C17 and C19 alterations and addition. Rendered rubble walls with gable ended slate roof. Rendered stone stack to left gable end with shaped top. Originally 3-room and through passage plan with screens passage and lower room to right. It is unclear whether there was originally an open hall or not as only 1 original roof truss is visible and that is clean. Rear lateral stack to hall and gable end stack to inner room, unheated lower room. The inner room was probably modified in the C17. In the C19 the house was re-fronted and modernised internally with a passage inserted between hall and inner room. It also had a rear service wing added. Possibly at this stage a pound house was added beyond the lower room. Probably in the earlier C20 the passage and lower room fell into disuse and at present are unoccupied with the lower side screen having been removed; the front door of the passage was then blocked. 2 storeys. symmetrical 3-window front to left of mid C19 8-pane sashes with horns, central C20 panelled door in arched opening with fanlight above. Barn extension to right-hand side has double plank doors to left of centre. Rear wing has late C20 casement windows with large panes. Interior: rear doorway to former passage has circa late C16 chamfered oak door frame with depressed 4-centred arched head; possibly original studded heavy plank door with strap hinges. The right-hand plank and muntin screen survives to the passage and has chamfered muntins with straight cut stops and chamfered head beam. Its original doorway is blocked and of a similar form to that at the rear of the passage. The chamfered head beam is all that remains of the lower end screen, it has mortices for the muntins and grooves for the planks. The original roof truss was visible over the lower room and consisted of substantial well cut principal rafters which had threaded purlins and a morticed cranked collar, apex not visible, all clean. Beyond were rougher C18/C19 trusses with lapped collars. The lower room has cross beams with worn chamfers. Beyond it is a pound house with the cider press and machinery apparently intact, mainly of wooden construction. The hall was subject to complete mid C19 modernisation and contains panelled shutters and doors with no earlier features visible. The inner room has a central cross beam and half beam at its gable end, both chamfered with bar and hollow step stops. The original fireplace is likely to survive behind later blocking. This house displays a number of interesting features from various periods with more early features likely to be concealed. The survival of the cider press, and its position adjoining the house, is relatively unusual although consistent with the unspoilt condition of this house.

Listing NGR: SX8042366259