The Old House

The Old House is a large, free-standing dwelling located set back from the street in Newnham. It dates from the 16th and 17th centuries, with a front added in the late 18th century. The building features painted brick with stone quoins and moulded strings at three levels, topped with a parapet and a hipped roof covered in Welsh slate. The front block has lateral stacks and two deep projecting wings, including a large external stack on the right side.

The house is three storeys high, with three windows on the upper floors and four on the ground floor. The windows are sashes with glazing bars, set in reveals with stepped voussoirs and stone cills; the stepped heads are likely cut from a single stone. A bold projecting Doric portico with responds leads to the entrance. Inside, the entrance hall contains a large fireplace on the left, featuring a very deep stone lintel. There is an early 18th-century open square well stair with a heavy moulded handrail, square newels, and twisted balusters, along with two Gothick windows in the stair hall at the back. The dining room showcases 18th-century painted panelling and a fire surround with fluted Doric pilasters and a triglyph frieze. Many of the windows are fitted with 18th-century shutters. Additionally, there is a large vaulted stone cellar, which was formerly accessed by a flight of stone steps from the outside.