Wansley Barton

Wansley Barton is a barton (a farmhouse) now used as a residence, probably built in the 17th century and substantially remodelled and enlarged in the early 19th century. It has undergone minor late 19th and late 20th century alterations. The walls are constructed of uncoursed stone rubble with some red brick dressings. The rear gable end is rendered over cob and mostly painted, and there is a rendered slate-roofed porch to the front. Stone rubble outbuildings are positioned to the rear with a monopith corrugated-iron roof. The chimneys comprise a stone end stack to the right with a brick shaft, a brick end stack to the left, and a brick axial stack to the rear wing.

The building is arranged in an L-plan consisting of a three-room range facing south-west, possibly formerly with a through passage between the central and right-hand rooms (evidenced by opposed doors). A late 17th century dog-leg staircase is positioned to the left of the entrance in the central room, probably altered or a later introduction, as shown by the balustrade of the top flight against the wall and a blocked front window visible from the half landing. In the early 19th century, a two-roomed kitchen wing was added projecting at right angles to the rear of the right-hand end room, with a central axial stack between each room. The left-hand end of the front range was widened to the rear in the late 19th century, when the range of outbuildings projecting at right angles to the rear of this end were probably also added, forming a small service courtyard. The building is two storeys with a one-storey range of outbuildings.

The front elevation has a plinth and an asymmetrical four-bay frontage, with the second bay from the right slightly projecting. The windows are early 19th century sixteen-pane glazing bar sashes with brick reveals and brick segmental-arched heads; the second first-floor window from the left is a late 19th century replacement, and the left-hand ground-floor window is a late 20th century replacement. The second ground-floor window from the left is blind or blocked, now blocked flush with 20th century masonry but formerly recessed. The doorway in the second bay from the right has an early 19th century six-panelled door with upper four panels glazed and lower two panels beaded flush, set within a beaded wooden frame with a segmental-arched opening and slate side benches inside.

The left-hand gable end features a first-floor 19th century two-light segmental-headed window to the left and a ground-floor 19th century four-light segmental-headed window lighting the dairy. A large late 19th century buttress with two chamfered offsets is positioned to the left. The right-hand gable end shows evidence of rebuilding, with various vertical straight joints to the right of the stack, and a blocked wide segmental-headed first-floor opening to the right of the stack. The right-hand side wall of the rear wing has two first-floor early 19th century six-pane glazing bar sashes with brick reveals, segmental brick heads and slate cills, a similar ground-floor glazing bar sash to the right, and a ground-floor early 19th century twenty-four pane (six by two panes to each leaf) glazing bar sash to the left, also with brick dressings. The range of outbuildings at the rear of the left-hand end of the main range have plank doors with wooden lintels.

The interior features a stone-flagged floor to the central entrance and staircase hall. A particularly fine painted late 17th century dog-leg staircase to the left of the entrance has a half landing and balustrade returning to the landing. The staircase has a closed pulvinated string, vase-shaped balusters, a moulded handrail and square newel posts with globe finials and pendants. The top of a blocked front window is visible from the half landing.

An early 19th century six-panelled door with a moulded architrave leads from the entrance hall into the right-hand ground-floor room. This room contains a pair of fine early to mid-18th century round-arched semi-circular plan niches flanking the fireplace (the fireplace was rebuilt in the late 20th century). Each niche has flanking beaded pilasters with moulded imposts, a moulded arch with a raised key, three ogee-shaped shelves, and cupboards below with a pair of raised and fielded panelled doors (the doors have been removed from the cupboard below the right-hand niche). The niches have a square-headed moulded architrave. Early to mid-18th century fluted Doric pilasters flank the right-hand end wall, each supporting a section of triglyph frieze and a moulded cornice. An 18th century two-panelled door leads from the entrance hall into the left-hand ground-floor room and a similar 18th century two-panelled door leads into the dairy at the rear of the left-hand room. The dairy has low slate shelves supported on rendered segmental arches.

An early 19th century six-panelled door with a moulded architrave leads from the entrance hall into the rear wing. The front ground-floor room in the rear wing has a cased ceiling beam, picture rail, wall cupboard and a large early 19th century open fireplace with brick jambs and a segmental brick arch with metal straps on the intrados. The rear room in the rear wing also has a large early 19th century open fireplace with brick jambs, a segmental brick arch with metal straps on the intrados, an early 19th century beaded wooden architrave with a mantelshelf and a cloam oven to the left. The first-floor rooms and roof-space were not inspected.

Although this house has been much rebuilt in the early 19th century, it is notable for the fine late 17th century staircase and the early to mid-18th century niches and pilasters. The niches and pilasters are of similar date and quality to a large round-arched niche with flanking pilasters in Great Barlington Farmhouse.