Coombe Farmhouse

Coombe Farmhouse is a farmhouse, likely dating back to the 17th century or earlier, with probable later 17th, 18th, and 19th-century additions. It is constructed of granite rubble walls, with some areas lightly rendered and roughcast, and has a thatched roof with gable ends and one hip to the left-hand wing. A granite gable stack at the front, with capping, a drip-course below, and drip moulds at the base, is a prominent feature, alongside a brick chimney to the right-hand wing.

The building’s plan and development are complex, having originally comprised three rooms and a through-passage, with a hall stack backing onto the passage; the passage and lower end were later demolished. A late 17th-century unheated wing was added to the front of the inner room. In the 18th century, a wing was added to the rear, after which the house’s orientation was changed, making this new wing the front. A 19th-century extension was added, and a single-storey outbuilding, originally attached to its far side, was incorporated into the accommodation in the late 20th century.

The asymmetrical two-window front is largely defined by the 18th-century wing, with the lower end of the hall to the left. The front features 19th-century 2-light casement windows with small panes, along with an early 20th-century gabled porch at the centre, concealing windows and a part-glazed door, and a window to the right. The ground floor incorporates the rear of the hall stack, constructed of granite ashlar with a chamfered plinth. The left-hand side, the original front, is irregular, with two 20th-century casements on the ground floor and one above to the left, all with small panes. A wing projecting from the left-hand side has late 19th/early 20th-century 2-light casements on the first floor, and a 19th-century 12-pane sash window on the ground floor to the right of centre. A 19th-century extension is set back from the right gable end, and beyond it, a single-storey outbuilding has been incorporated into the house.

Internally, some 17th-century features remain. The hall fireplace has a heavy timber lintel with a rough-chamfer, a monolithic granite jamb to the left end, and an oven with a stone arched opening on the right-hand side. A ½-beam above the fireplace has a deep chamfer and bar with hollow step stops, alongside an identical central cross beam. A plank and muntin screen is located at the upper end of the hall, although only roughly worked and visible on the higher side. The inner room contains a central longitudinal beam with a narrow chamfer. Above the screen is a stud partition, possibly of the same date. The house retains an unspoilt facade with traditional windows, and may well contain a medieval roof structure.