Ramscliffe Farmhouse

Ramscliffe Farmhouse is a farmhouse, likely dating from the late 15th or early 16th century, with alterations and enlargement probably occurring in the early 17th century. It is built of rendered cob with a half-hipped wheatstraw thatched roof. The farmhouse features a rendered lateral stack with a later brick top, a brick end stack, and axial stacks.

Originally designed with a three-room and cross- or through-passage plan facing south, the house probably once had an open hall, possibly extending the full length of the building. Around 1500, the original house consisted of a hall with a passage to the right and likely an inner room to the left. Early 17th-century alterations included the insertion of a first floor, perhaps throughout the house, an external lateral stack to the front of the hall, incorporating a full-height square bay to its left (likely illuminating the former open hall), and an external end stack to the former service room. An enlargement of the former inner room, also featuring an end stack, likely occurred at this time; it’s possible the Medieval house originally lacked this inner room. A mid-17th century one-roomed addition was added to the left-hand end, evidenced by the lower roofline. This addition was probably originally a small, separate cottage, evidenced by a separate entrance and staircase and a lack of internal connection, and is now used as an outhouse.

The exterior is asymmetrical, with five windows to the first floor and three to the ground floor, most of which are late 19th and 20th century two-light wooden casements. A small, unglazed first floor wooden window is located on the left, likely dating from the late 17th or 18th century. A 20th-century lean-to porch covers the passage entrance to the right of the stack. A 19th-century boarded wooden door is found in the left-hand addition. A small stair window is present at the rear.

Access to most of the interior was denied during assessment. The right-hand ground floor room (currently the kitchen) retains a chamfered cross beam with ogee stops. The left-hand ground floor room (the mid-17th century addition) features a chamfered spine beam with run-out stops, an open fireplace with a wooden lintel, and an old staircase in the corner.

The farmhouse is part of a small farmstead group, including a barn, and requires a detailed inspection.