The Old House

The Old House

This is a house dating from the 17th century or earlier, with later remodelling, alterations and additions. It is constructed of stone rubble rendered and painted, with pitched roofs covered in Westmorland slate. Chimney stacks project from the south gable and the north end of the earliest range.

The building is L-shaped in plan with a stair turret. The earliest range runs north-south. The front (south) elevation shows the gable end of this north-south range, rendered and plain except for a large ground floor casement window and a small casement window above and to the right. The south elevation of the east-west range contains the main doorway set within a projecting porch, with a heavy studded double oak door and a small casement window to the right. All windows have continuous drip moulds.

The west elevation is two storeys with two bays, each bay containing a ground floor casement window with two similar windows above. A slate drip mould runs over the ground floor. The east elevation shows the gable end of the east-west range with a buttress either side of a single ground floor casement window, with two similar windows above and a continuous drip mould. Between the two ranges sits a square stair turret under a pitched slate roof, with single casements to both ground and first floor and a 20th-century porch protecting the entrance.

The interior of the earlier range contains a single ground floor room with exposed beams and rafters, many featuring chamfer stops. Walls on three sides display expanses of small-square oak panelling. The north wall hearth features a 16th or 17th-century wooden fire surround and an intricately carved and inlaid overmantle incorporating geometric strapwork, flower motifs, plain banded and guilloche decoration, and the upper halves of three figures or terms placed upon decorated columns. A rectangular recess to the left likely marks the original location of a spice cupboard. A carved wooden spice cupboard door, now on the opposite wall and decorated with simple flower motifs, bears the initials IDA and the date 1690. A panelled window seat occupies the opposing wall.

The main first floor room of the earlier range is divided by a series of relocated five-row panels with decorative strapwork frieze into a narrow hallway, with a main bedroom to the right and a small bathroom at the end. The bedroom has a firebreast on the north wall and exposed beams and rafters with chamfer stops and mortices. Oak floorboards run throughout the first floor.

The ground floor of the later range contains a kitchen with exposed rafters, one panelled wall, and a main entrance with a heavy oak studded door on strap hinges. The first floor of this range is divided into two rooms, one featuring panelled fitted cupboards. The stair turret contains a wooden open-well staircase with elaborately turned balusters, moulded handrail and unusual decorated square newels.

The roof is carried on pegged queen strut trusses supporting two tiers of purlins. An eclectic collection of door and window fittings and furniture is found throughout.

The house likely evolved from a simple two-bay north-south range in the local vernacular style with a hearth and main entrance in the gable end and a separate stair, possibly originally a stone newel, appended to the north-east. Subsequently, a two-storey east-west range was constructed and the original stair was replaced by the existing elaborate timber open-well staircase. Cottages appended to the north end of the original range date from the 18th century. Much of the internal panelling, fireplace, overmantle and staircase are early features of probable 17th-century date, though some may have been relocated. Evidence of Arts and Crafts influence appears in the eclectic range of window and door fittings and some of the panelling from the mid to late 19th century.