Snape Farmhouse

HIGH BICKINGTON SS 62 SW 5/83 Snape Farmhouse - GV II

Farmhouse. Probably C16 with early to mid C17 addition and probable alterations, and minor mid to late C19 addition. Partly demolished, altered and enlarged in the mid to late C20. Rendered cob on stone rubble plinth. Gable-ended thatched roof with lean- to Welsh-slate roof over C19 outshut. Stone lateral and end stacks with rendered and later brick shafts. Plan and development: C16 three-room and through/cross passage plan, facing south (ground falls to right). Hall (probably formerly open to the roof) with integral lateral stack to front (probably a C17 insertion along with the first floor), former through (or cross) passage to right of hall (no rear doorway noted at time of survey - December (1987) and inner room to left with external end stack. Former service room to right of passage was demolished in the late C20. Early to mid C17 one-roomed plan kitchen wing at rear of hall with external end stack. Mid to late C19 outshut (probably formerly dairy) at rear of left-hand end of house, in angle of rear wing. Staircase inserted in the passage, probably in the late C19 (present staircase is C19). Remains of former lower (service) room to right of passage include what might have been a former one-storey lean-to porch to the front (presumably to an inserted doorway), although it might only be an outshut. Late C20 flat-roofed addition at rear of right-hand end of house. Two storeys with one-storey additions. Exterior: Nearly symmetrical front. Integral lateral stack to front with tall square shaft. Three windows to first floor, pair of late C19 three-light casements to right and large late C20 three-light wooden casement to loft. Central ground-floor late C19 three-light hall window and large late C20 three-light wooden casement to left. Recessed passage doorway at right-hand end has late C18 or early C19 door with 6 raised and fielded panels (top 2 glazed) and ovolo-moulded pegged wooden frame. Remains of former right-hand (lower) end room include former stone plinth to rear and projecting possible former stone porch or outshut to front. Rear wing has large stone end stack with weatherings, chamfered offsets to late C19 brick shaft, and projecting rounded bread oven at base. Interior: Hall has C17 open fireplace to front with stone jambs, wooden lintel and blocked bread oven. Left-hand ground-floor (inner) room has smaller stone fireplace with wooden lintel. Ground-floor room in rear wing (kitchen) has C17 open fireplace with stone jambs, chamfered wooden lintel with ogee stops and 2 bread ovens. C19 staircase in former passage. Roof-space ceiled and inaccessible at time of survey (December 1987). This house, which requires further detailed inspection, especially of the roof, forms part of a small farmstead group which includes a large barn to the south-west (q.v.).

Listing NGR: SS6190720220