The Sheephouse

The Sheephouse is a large, detached house and former farmhouse, dating to the early 17th century with later 18th-century alterations. Constructed primarily of squared and coursed limestone, with an ashlar facade to the south, it has stone slate roofs. The building has a complex layout, consisting of a principal block to the south, a projecting stair turret to the north, a large three-story, cross-gabled wing to the west, and a two-story cottage to the east, forming a U-plan.

The south front was rebuilt in the late 18th century in three stories, with three windows at the first and second floors, and four plus a central doorway at ground floor level. The windows are 12-pane sashes, with unfluted Ionic pilasters set on channelled backing, a pulvinated frieze, and a pediment. Venetian windows flank the central doorway at the first floor, with flat architrave surrounds to all ground and first-floor openings. The second floor has three 9-pane sashes. The roof has a cornice, a blocking to the parapet, and gable stacks with paired diagonal shafts.

The west front has two Cotswold gables to the 2½-story section, featuring recessed chamfer stone mullioned casements with stopped hoods, largely with leading. Two doors are set within 4-centred openings, a plank and stud door being centrally positioned. A small window is situated at mid-height between the doors, with a ridge stack to the right, which also has diagonal shafts, skirts and cap pings. Further to the right is a single-story brick extension with a stone-slate roof.

The north front includes an early 20th-century porch extension with a flat roof. A bull's-eye opening sits above a 3-light casement window in the stair turret, alongside a further 2-light, high, window to the left. The rear of the wing to the right exhibits complex pigeon openings with ledges to the gables, with 3-story sections featuring 1, 2, and 3-light stone mullioned casements, including one with a deep lintel over a former door opening. The north gable displays a 4-light window above a 3-light and a 3-light casement, all with stopped hoods. All gables of this wing are coped.

The cottage extension has a rendered front, stone gables, and a stone slate roof. It features two stories and three windows, including a fixed 9-pane window and an arched 12-pane window with radial bars at the first floor, above a plain mid-string to four pilasters framing two 2-light casements with bars and a 6-panel flush door. A stone stack is positioned to the left.

The interior, which was not fully inspected, includes a large stone fire surround, likely dating back to the early 17th century or earlier, in a ground-floor room at the north end, and a wooden spiral stair leading from the first floor to the roof stage. Various spade-stopped, chamfered spine beams with run-out stops are also present.