Hole Land Farmhouse

Farmhouse. Dating to approximately the late 16th century, with extensions added in the 18th or 19th century. The farmhouse is constructed of whitewashed rendered cob on stone rubble footings, with a thatched roof gabled at the ends. Brick end stacks are present on the main range, and a projecting stack with a rendered shaft is at the end of the wing. The original layout consists of a single-depth main range, two rooms wide, dating from the late 16th century. These rooms were both heated by gable end stacks, with a newel staircase located to the rear of the left-hand room. A front right wing, also heated, was added in the 18th or 19th century. The house's development is not fully clear, but it likely began as a two-room house with a hall/kitchen at the right end and a parlour at the left end. Additional accommodation was provided by the later wing. The left-hand stack of the main range appears to be a later insertion or rebuilding. The farmhouse has two storeys. The front is irregular, with one window to the left-hand end and two windows to the wing. The current entrance is directly into the left-hand end of the main range, through a 20th-century glazed porch with a lean-to roof in the angle between the main range and the wing. The thatch eaves are eyebrowed above the first-floor window of the main range, which is a two-light casement with six panes per light. A two-light casement with two panes per light is located on the ground floor to the left of the porch. A similar window is present on the first floor of the wing, alongside a ground-floor window which is a four-pane sash. Inside, the right-hand room has a deeply chamfered cross beam, dating to the late 16th century, with stop-chamfered spine beams with run-out stops, alongside a smaller, unchamfered cross beam, suggesting possible rebuilding at the right end of the main range. The fireplace is blocked, but a large timber lintel remains visible. A chamfered doorway, likely originally external, leads into the wing. The left-hand room also has a deeply chamfered cross beam with stop-chamfered spine beams with run-out stops; one stop appears to have been truncated by the fireplace, which has a reused timber lintel. An early roof structure may exist, as evidenced by large purlins visible upstairs. The farmhouse is an evolved house of circa 16th-century origins, attractively situated within the landscape.