Forder Farmhouse

Forder Farmhouse is a ruined farmhouse that dates from the late 17th century, with possible medieval origins. It is constructed of cob and stone, with some brick dressings added in the late 19th century. The roof has mostly collapsed, but a small section of wheat reed thatch remains. An old chimneystack is located on the left-hand gable and is overgrown with creeper. There is a large stone stack with thatch weatherings and a 19th-century red brick shaft, which heated the former hall, positioned off-centre to the left and aligned with the original ridge.

The farmhouse features a three-room and through-passage plan, with a long unheated room at the lower end that does not communicate internally with the house. Originally two storeys high, only a few floor beams remain in place. The surviving windows on the road frontage have 19th-century wooden casements. A late 16th-century or early 17th-century wooden doorframe and door lead to the through-passage; the frame is ovolo-moulded with a cranked head, and the plank door is fitted with wrought-iron strap hinges. The rear door is identical, except the frame has a plain chamfer.

Remnants of plank-and-muntin screens can be seen on both sides of the through-passage. The back of the hall stack, facing the passage, is made of large granite ashlar blocks but lacks a plinth or cornice. The hall contains at least one chamfered ceiling beam, and the fireplace features a chamfered wooden lintel with a well-cut relieving arch above. In the upper gable, above the parlour, the moulded granite jambs of a former fireplace are still visible. Two side-pegged jointed-cruck trusses remain, one on each side of the hall stack; these have straight collars, butt purlins, and a ridge that appears to be original. The remaining piece of thatch over the passage and the common rafters beneath it show signs of being smoke-blackened. The farmhouse was previously noted for having a spiral staircase leading from the kitchen on the outer wall.