Ashleigh

Ashleigh is a farmhouse with a medieval core, significantly altered in the early to mid-18th century and again in the late 19th century. The house is constructed of rendered whitewashed stone rubble, with a scantle slate roof gabled at the ends, and a corrugated asbestos roof to the rear wing. There are three rendered stacks with brick shafts, two at the gable ends of the main range and one on the ridge.

The original plan likely comprised a two-bay open hall house, of which one smoke-blackened truss remains. A south wing, set at right angles to the hall, probably has a mid to late 16th-century roof and may have served as the great chamber before the hall was ceiled over. The main range was extended at both ends; a short projection with a hipped roof was added on the north side, possibly in the 18th century, though it may have incorporated an existing structure. An outshut was added to the west on the south side, between the wing and main range, and a lean-to was added to the east on the south side, likely in the late 19th century, when most of the main range’s windows were replaced. Remnants of a circa 15th-century stone traceried window to the south suggest the medieval building was substantial.

The north front is asymmetrical, with four windows and a central front projection with a hipped roof. A change in plane indicates a later addition to the left end. The entrance is through a 19th-century half-glazed porch to the left of the front projection. Ground floor windows are late 19th-century sashes with glazing bars, and the first floor has two similar windows; the first-floor window on the left is a 16-pane hornless sash, while the one on the right is temporarily blocked. The rear wing has been extended to the south, with the south end now used as a farmbuilding with a loft above.

Internally, the remaining smoke-blackened truss has halved and pegged joinery at the apex, a straight pegged collar, and threaded former purlins. The truss is blackened only on its east side. A wall to the east marks the length of the medieval hall, with some smoke-blackening visible beneath later plaster. Truncated principals to the north projection, beneath a later roof, suggest 16th-century origins for that addition. The south wing trusses have cambered pegged collars and large principals, which may be crucks. Fireplaces are described as modern, but may conceal earlier features. Fragments of a large stone traceried window and what appears to be a font plinth are located to the south of the house. According to Lysons, the Manor of Ashleigh was held by the Ashleigh family from the 13th to the 14th centuries, before passing through the Tirell, Hals, and Trelawney families and eventually to the Bullers in 1730.