Blackhall Manor Farmhouse

Blackhall Manor Farmhouse is a farmhouse, originally a manor house, dating to the 16th and 17th centuries, with refurbishment in the early 19th century. The building is constructed of probable granite stone rubble with plastered walls, possibly with cob, and features granite stacks with granite ashlar chimneyshafts and moulded coping, all under a thatched roof. The building follows an L-shaped plan and sits on a gentle slope. The main block, facing south-east, has a three-room-and-through-passage plan. A gable-end stack is located at the north-eastern end, while the hall has an axial stack backing onto the passage, and an early 19th-century stair turret projects to the rear, possibly rebuilding an earlier one. The service end room also possesses a gable-end stack. At the left end, an early 19th-century two-room block projects forward, originally intended as a parlour block with a central entrance hall and staircase, and has its own gable-end stack; this is now used as a separate cottage. A further block, added in the early 19th century, joins the main block at right angles. The main block likely began as an open hall house, possibly heated by an open hearth fire, with fireplaces later inserted and the house progressively floored over during the late 16th and 17th centuries. The building is now two storeys throughout. The exterior ranges have symmetrical three-window fronts arranged around a central doorway. Most windows are early 19th-century 16-pane sashes, although the first-floor windows of the main block have been replaced with 20th-century horned 4-pane sashes. The parlour wing’s doorway features an early 19th-century six-panel door with a 20th-century thatched hood. The main block’s passage front doorway contains a 19th-century plank door, as does the rear doorway, both behind 20th-century porches with rustic posts. The roofs are gable-ended, and the eaves extend over the stair turret at the rear of the main block. Although an interior inspection was not possible, the joinery, including the staircases, is predominantly early 19th-century. The layout of the main block suggests 16th and 17th-century carpentry and chimneystacks, and the owners report some early panelling within the main block. Care should be taken during any building or modernization work to avoid disturbing potentially significant 16th or 17th-century features, and there may be a smoke-blackened late medieval roof structure.