Morson Farmhouse

Morson Farmhouse is a building of probable 16th-century origin, significantly altered and extended in the 17th century with a 19th-century addition. It is constructed of rendered stone rubble and cob walls, with a partly grouted slate roof that is gabled at the right end and hipped to the left. The house features two axial stacks; the right-hand stack is of rubble with a slate dripcourse, while the left-hand stack is of granite ashlar with stone dripmoulds. Originally a three-room and through-passage plan, with a lower unheated room to the left, it may have once contained an open hall, although this could not be confirmed without roof access. The hall stack likely predates the passage and the adjacent inner room, which is in an unusual axial position and was probably inserted in the 17th century, along with an extension and a dog-leg staircase projecting from the rear wall. A large projecting front bay to the hall is also likely from the 17th century. A 19th-century rear outshut was added to the hall, partially blocking the back door of the passage. The front facade is two storeys high with a four-window arrangement, and the hall bay projects to the right of centre. Most windows are circa late 19th/early 20th century 3-light casements, with a 2-light window on the ground floor to the left. A 17th-century 3-light window with an ovolo-moulded wooden frame is located above the porch. A 19th-century lean-to porch, incorporating a pumphouse and granite trough, is situated to the left of the hall bay, and contains a 20th-century part-glazed door. At the rear, a 19th-century outshut is centrally located, and a shallow rectangular stair projection is to the left of centre. The interior retains several early features; the roof space, according to the owner, contains cruck trusses. The lower room has a chamfered longitudinal beam with hollow step stops. A probably original roundheaded wooden arch, rebated in a square door frame and both moulded, leads into the lower room from the passage. The hall features chamfered cross-beams with worn hollow step stops, and a granite-framed fireplace with chamfered jambs; the lintel is obscured and an oven is located at the rear. The square-headed wooden doorframe to the inner room is ovolo-moulded with worn stops. The inner room fireplace is blocked, but is reportedly also granite-framed. To the left is an 18th-century arched niche with a curved back, reeded pilasters, and a dropped keystone, accompanied by fielded panelling on the side. Rear of the inner room, a chamfered and stopped square-headed wooden doorframe with a fielded two-panel door leads to a small 17th-century dog-leg staircase, featuring a closed string, turned balusters, a newel, and a moulded handrail. The farmhouse is part of an unaltered traditional farm complex and has remained largely unchanged since the 19th century, preserving good 16th and 17th-century features. It may incorporate some medieval fabric, and its roof timbers are likely to be of importance.