Parford House

Parford House

Large farmhouse dating from the early or mid 16th century with later 16th and 17th century improvements. A major early 20th century refurbishment involved rearrangement of the original house with extensions, and a small extension was added around 1980. The building is constructed of plastered granite stone rubble with some cob in the older part, stone rubble stacks topped with early 20th century brick, thatch roof and lead roof to the rear block.

The farmhouse comprises a long main block facing south on a level site. The main section towards the right (east) represents the historic core, built to a 3-room-and-through-passage plan. The inner room at the right (east) end contains a gable-end stack. The hall has an axial stack backing onto the passage, and the service end room has an end stack serving only the first floor chamber. This stack is now axial and backs onto an early 20th century 1-room plan extension at that end. The extension is taller than the older block and projects slightly forward, with a gable-end stack on its left end. During the early 20th century refurbishment, the ground floor room was knocked through to the former service end room to create a large drawing room. The main stair is early 20th century and rises up the back wall of the former service room from the passage. Also in the early 20th century, a flat-roofed 2-storey kitchen block was built behind the former hall and passage, including a second stair. Both stairs share a large landing lit by a cupola on the flat roof. Around 1980, a 1-room plan single storey extension was added to the left end of the main block. The main house is 2 storeys throughout.

The original core has been much altered but the original hall was open to the roof and heated by an open hearth fire. Both inner and service end rooms were probably floored from the beginning. A hall stack was inserted probably in the late 16th century and the hall floored over at the same time or a little later.

The exterior presents a 1:1:5 window front overall. At the left end, the circa 1980 extension has windows and a French window with no glazing bars. Next to it, the early 20th century extension features full height bay windows on each floor, both with granite reveals and mullions, 3-forward lights with centre French windows and all with glazing bars. The upper French windows lead onto a balcony fenced with turned balusters and supported on timber posts. The 5-window section of the original farmhouse has early 20th century casements of different sizes, including 2 ground floor French windows. The main doorway, originally the passage front doorway, is left of centre in this section and contains an early 20th century part-glazed and panelled door with a solid bead-moulded surround. Across the front here is a tile-roofed verandah on rustic posts. The roof is gable-ended, stepping up to the early 20th century extension. The end wall of the early 20th century extension contains granite-mullioned windows. The ground floor window and a larger one in the rear block lighting the stair landing have leaded glass including panels of painted glass. On the right end is an early 20th century gabled porch containing an arch-headed door and window.

Despite the early 20th century refurbishment, the older part of the interior appears to be relatively well-preserved. The basic layout remains intact although little actually shows. The fireplaces are blocked by early 20th century grates and the only exposed carpentry is the late 16th to early 17th century hall crossbeam, which is soffit-chamfered with step stops. A 17th century oak cupboard to the rear of the hall has a carved diamond motif on its door. The rear passage doorframe is solid and probably earlier than the early 20th century work. The roof, at least that over the hall, passage and service end room, is original. The top of an oak-framed closed true cruck truss can be seen over the lower side of the passage. The 2-bay roof over the service end includes an open true cruck truss with cambered collar. The 2-bay roof over the hall carries an apparently contemporary side-pegged jointed cruck truss, also with a cambered collar. The roof over the hall, including the purlins, common rafters, hall side of the crosswalls and underside of the thatch, is thoroughly smoke-blackened from the open hearth fire. Over the passage at the apex and close to the framed crosswall, there remain unusually extensive remains of the original smoke louvre, an unusual and very important survival. The service end roof is clean. The inner room roof is separated from the hall roof by a stone rubble crosswall; it is clean and comprises only couples of common rafters and therefore of indeterminate date.

The entire house interior is essentially the result of the early 20th century modernisation, although earlier features may survive behind later plaster in the old farmhouse. The stairs are Queen Anne in style with twisted balusters. Some of the chimneypieces are Adams-style, and one in the former service end room chamber includes some reused late 17th to early 18th century hand-painted Delft tiles.

This is an interesting farmhouse. The remains of the late medieval smoke louvre are probably of national interest.