Former yeoman's hall house

This is a hall house, probably built for a yeoman farmer no later than the early 17th century. It was converted to agricultural use probably in the 18th century and was undergoing conversion back to domestic use in 2023.

The building is constructed of roughly coursed local rubble stone, with foundations incorporating several large boulders. The roof is covered in Lakeland blue slate laid to diminishing courses.

Plan and Layout

The building is orientated with gable ends to the south and north. The smoke bay of the hall is at the northern end, with the byre beyond forming the north end of the range on slightly lower ground. The original entrance to the hall is considered to be where the 18th-century cart entrance was inserted, in the east wall between the projection for the spiral staircase and the external staircase to the hayloft. The entrance to the byre is also on the east side, at the foot of the hayloft stairs.

Exterior

At the time of inspection in June 2023, the building appeared as a two-storey, six-bay, traditionally stone-built agricultural building under a continuous roof with no external evidence of a chimney.

West Side Wall

The four-bay hall is marked by a well-constructed continuous drip course considered to mark the original eaves line. The two-bay byre's original eaves line is marked by an intermittent row of through stones slightly lower than the hall's drip course. Rising from this level there is a definite vertical joint between the hayloft and the hall. However, the current eaves line and roofing of the hall and hayloft is continuous.

To the centre of the elevation there is a large opening with a lowered sill and a timber lintel, recently reopened at the time of inspection. In proportion this is likely to have originally been for a timber-framed three- or perhaps a four-light mullion window and would have lit the main living area of the hall. To its left there is a single-light fire window which would have lit the inglenook fireplace. To its right are two reasonably evenly spaced windows that are slightly shorter and probably originally held two-light mullioned windows.

To the first floor there are three relatively evenly spaced windows that are roughly aligned with the openings below. In proportion these were probably two-, or possibly small three-light mullioned windows. At the time of inspection all of these windows were blocked. The byre has a single, centrally placed window. The hayloft, above the byre, is blind.

East Side Wall

This elevation lacks projecting through stones or drip courses. To the centre is a tall inserted cart entrance with renewed double doors. The internal and external lintels are reused timbers retaining redundant housings and peg holes.

To the left (south) is the projection for the spiral staircase. This is an irregular canted bay with a lean-to roof that falls from just below the eaves of the hall. It has a single, mid-height window to the east face and a large, low-level niche to the north face, this probably being a lamp shelf overlooking the entrance.

Immediately to the left of the stair projection there is a small first-floor window with a stone lintel, and a larger ground floor window with a timber lintel. At the time of inspection, this ground floor window (in proportion likely to have been a two- or perhaps a three-light mullion window which had been reduced to a pair of small square openings) was in the process of being opened up into a doorway. To the left there is the end of a timber beam embedded in the wall.

To the right (north) of the cart entrance there is the doorway to the hayloft at the top of an external stone flight of steps that rises from the centrally placed byre doorway. The lintel to the byre doorway is curved and has a disused peg hole and is potentially a section of a former cruck blade.

South Gable

This has a single projecting through stone with a hole above (possibly an owl hole) which is level with, and close to, the eastern eaves. The rest of the gable appears to be blind although there is evidence internally of at least two blocked windows, one at first-floor level, just below the possible owl hole, and one at attic level close to the western roof slope. Two other areas of stonework internally could be interpreted as two further blocked windows at first-floor and attic level. Slight changes in stonework hint at a former steeper pitch to the roof.

North Gable

This is quoined and is the most neatly built elevation to the building, possibly indicating that it was rebuilt in the 18th century or later. The top of the gable and verges have been rebuilt more recently. The elevation has some projecting through stones and three evenly spaced small square openings, either put-log holes or owl holes.

Interior

The Hall

The hall retains the stone spiral staircase projecting to the east but has lost its upper floor structure (except for some beam ends embedded in the walls) and room divisions, although evidence of the ground floor divisions may survive buried. The various blocked windows described above are generally more readily identified internally, the window openings typically having neatly built splays.

The wall between the hall and the byre/hayloft has a chimney stack that is truncated and has been roofed over. This chimney rises from timber staging cantilevered through the thickness of the wall about halfway up the roof slope, the four timbers forming the staging being reused, at least one of them likely to be a former saddle piece from a cruck frame.

Splaying down from this staging, at the time of the site inspection, the wall was roughly plastered and sooted showing the outline of a broad smoke hood that originally rose from the ground floor. Within this area, on the eastern side extending directly down from the chimney, there is a neatly formed splayed recess forming the rear of a narrower smoke hood. This recess fades out just above a long horizontal stone built into the wall which is potentially the truncated remains of a first-floor hearth stone.

Below this, to the east, the walling is patched with brickwork, interpreted as evidence of the removal of a masonry heck partition, originally forming the east side of an inglenook fireplace. Immediately beyond there is evidence of a blocked alcove or possible former doorway to the byre. Built into the wall adjacent to the west wall with its fire window is a stack of four alcoves, interpreted as former salt and spice cupboards. The walls of the hall retain various areas of lime plaster, mainly, but not exclusively, surviving to the upper floor level.

The hall's roof structure consists of three tie beam and collared trusses with pegged joints supporting ridge purlins and two sets of side purlins to each roof slope. The common rafters, the ridge purlins and about a couple of the side purlins appear to be modern sawn replacements, but the vast majority of the side purlins and all of the trusses are likely to be 18th century or earlier, probably contemporary with the raising of the eaves. Many of these timbers appear to be reused with redundant housings and peg holes. Several of the purlins have regularly spaced holes and may be reused wall plates from a timber-framed building, the holes potentially being for staves for wattle and daub walling.

Byre and Hayloft

The joists for the hayloft floor above are relatively recent sawn softwood, but the two beams supporting them are undressed round wood timbers that could be original. Immediately inside the hayloft doorway there is a small area of lime ash flooring.

The roof structure is similar to that of the hall except that it has a single truss that is formed with a tie beam but with no collar. One of the principal rafters of the truss is curved and is possibly a reused cruck blade. The ridge and a couple of the side purlins are sawn softwood replacements, but most are likely to be original, some being clearly reused timbers.