Whimington Farmhouse

Whimington Farmhouse

A farmhouse of early 16th-century origin, substantially enlarged and altered in the early 17th century, with late 19th-century alterations to windows and re-roofing, and 20th-century alterations including removal of granite window surrounds and substantial alterations to the shippon end (in progress at the time of survey in September 1985).

The building is constructed of granite rubble and slatestone with granite dressings, with slate roofs largely replaced in the 20th century. The rear wing has a rubble ridge stack with cap.

The farmhouse originally formed a longhouse with a three-room and through-passage plan, comprising a hall and inner room to the left of the passages and a shippon to the right. A stair tower to the rear of the hall may be a late addition. In the early 17th century a kitchen wing was added to the rear of the passage, and the hall was built out at the front with a further room added to the higher end in a cross wing and former dairy to the rear. A second stair was set in the original inner room. The resulting irregular plan is formed by successive additions. A wall at the higher end of the hall rises at first-floor level right up to the apex of the roof, though the roof is entirely of 19th-century construction.

The building is two storeys with four bays to the upper end, with the shippon to the right. All windows are 20th-century casements in early openings. The bay to the left projects and has a gable end to the front, with a three-light casement with cambered head at ground floor and a similar two-light casement at first floor; to the right side is a blocked single light at ground floor with chamfered granite surround. The second bay (formerly the inner room) has a single light at ground floor with granite lintel and a two-light casement at first floor in a hollow-chamfered granite surround. The hall bay to the right is gabled and slightly advanced, with a three-light casement with segmental head and dripmould at ground floor, and a three-light casement with granite lintel at first floor and granite quoins at first-floor level to the right.

A two-storey gabled porch to the right possibly originally projected before the hall was extended to the front. It has a granite cambered lintel over the outer entrance, with one jamb remaining in situ from an original four-centred arched opening and a granite monolith to the right of the jamb. The inner doorway of the porch has a tall four-centred arched opening, chamfered with straight-cut step stops, and the door has strap hinges.

The shippon has the same roof level as the main range. At ground and first floor left is a two-light casement with segmental head. Above this is a four-centred arched granite chamfered opening with a loading door with granite jambs and reset cambered timber lintel. A ventilation slit is at upper level to the right, and to the right is a three-light casement with segmental head and a three-light raking dormer. The right lower end has three ventilation slits at lower level and one with granite surround at the apex of the gable, with a drain. Large granite quoins are present.

The higher end comprises a 17th-century addition in slatestone rubble. At ground floor left is a two-light casement with hollow-chamfered granite surround; a former similar casement at first floor has its mullion, cill and left jamb removed. A straight joint marks the rear lean-to dairy of later 17th-century date, which has an unglazed window opening and partially missing roof. The gable end of the 17th-century build to the right has a small four-pane light in a hollow-chamfered granite surround at first floor left. The main range has a single-pane light with iron stanchions in a similar surround at ground floor right. A stair tower is set in the angle to the rear wing at the left, which has a pitched roof extended from the main pitch, with a two-pane light at upper level.

The two-storey rear wing to the left has a gable end with a single light in a hollow-chamfered surround at ground floor left and a single ventilation slit at upper level to the right. The stack is not at the gable end because of a cavity behind the flue. Large granite quoins are present. The side of the rear wing has a former three-light granite mullioned window of which only the lintel and cill remain, with a two-light casement inserted. A small gabled dormer is unglazed with a two-light hollow-chamfered granite window with iron stanchions. The rear of the shippon has a large 20th-century stack in the course of construction, a ventilation slit at low level, and a three-light raking dormer to the left.

Interior

The shippon formerly had standings; the front wall has been mostly rebuilt. The porch leads to a passage with a slate floor. The rear wing contains a ground-floor room with a fireplace with flat chamfered granite lintel and an oven to the rear left. At first floor, a space behind the flue is visible, with a large smoking chamber to the right.

The hall has a fireplace with a 20th-century wooden lintel, two ovens to the rear, and a granite jamb. Keeping holes are to the left of the entrance. A solid wall separates the inner room, which has a keeping hole and a tall four-centred arched granite doorway, hollow-chamfered with convex triangular stops. The inner room has a wooden newel stair set to the rear. A later end room has a fireplace to the rear with a flat granite lintel, hollow-chamfered. A granite newel stair is located in the rear stair tower.

At first floor in the 17th-century build to the end, the front room has a hollow-chamfered granite fireplace with flat lintel. The room over the former dairy has a ventilator window to the rear and a keeping hole. The flooring over the passage had a trap door, possibly for taking up fleeces.