Gawton Farmhouse

Gawton Farmhouse is probably of early to mid-17th century origin, with a significant refronting in the 1850s. A barn is attached to the rear right, originally part of the house, and a later 19th-century stable block is attached to the right gable end. Further alterations occurred in later centuries. The farmhouse is constructed of slatestone and granite rubble; the 19th-century front is painted at ground floor level and slate-hung at first floor. It has a slate roof with gable end stacks to the front range and a gable end stack to the left of the rear range.

The original layout was probably a 3-room plan with a through passage, though the precise arrangement is now uncertain. The barn, truncated at an angle within an L-shaped plan, likely formed a rear wing. A parallel range was added in the 19th century, featuring a single depth and a 2-room plan with gable end stacks, and a central passage containing a dog-leg staircase to the rear right. The principal rooms are located to the right and left, both with heating. A lower 2-storey stable is attached to the right gable. The overall appearance is an irregular T-plan.

The mid-19th century front is symmetrical, with three windows on each floor, all featuring 12-pane sashes in plain reveals. The ground-floor windows are slightly larger. A central gabled porch has a 2-centred arched opening, with a panelled and glazed door and a 3-pane overlight. To the right is a stable, now used as living accommodation, with a 2-light casement window at ground floor and a lean-to addition. The left gable end of the 19th-century range is blank. The left gable end of the 17th-century range, slightly set back, has a curved oven at the base of the stack, and 20th-century 3-light casement windows at ground and first floor. The right gable end of the stable is truncated, and the rear elevation features 2-door openings and windows with brick segmental heads, except for the door to the right, which has a timber lintel. A loading door is positioned above under the eaves. The right gable end of the 17th-century range was probably extended and rebuilt, featuring a small 12-pane sash window at ground and first floor, partly slate-hung to the left, and connected to the barn to the right by a corridor with a door bearing a brick segmental head.

Foundations are said to remain between the gable end of the house and the barn. A timber lintel remains visible internally, marking the location of a former fireplace, and half a pointed arch is present within a former door opening on the gable end of the barn. The barn’s outer side has been extensively rebuilt and has a corrugated iron roof, with a door featuring a 6-pane light above and a 20th-century cart entry to the right, with a lean-to at the end. The rear of the 17th-century range has 2 single-light windows with timber lintels at first floor, a 2-light casement with a deep slate sill and timber lintel at ground floor left, and a former door opening with a timber lintel to the right. A corridor to the left contains a 20th-century door and casements, alongside a further single-storey addition with a door and a single light. The barn is built into a bank and its rear has been extended, while the gable end is blank.

Internally, one room in the rear 17th-century range retains two cross beams, one resting on wooden corbels. There are 2-panelled doors leading to the front range and to the rear. A 20th-century fireplace is located against the gable end stack.