Mathew How

Mathew How is a house dating from the 17th century, with additions and alterations made in the late 18th or early 19th century, and further changes in the late 20th century. It is constructed of rubble stone with a painted wet-dash finish, featuring gable chimneys and a Westmorland slate roof laid to diminishing courses with stone ridges.

The house has an L-shaped plan, with a remodelled and raised east range and a service range extending westward from the north end of the east range. The near-symmetrical east elevation has two storeys and three window bays, with central French windows that were previously a doorway with a rectangular overlight above. Flanking the doorway are 3-over-3 pane sash windows beneath shallow slate drips. Above, there are three 10-over-10 pane sash windows with exposed stepped lintels, and to the far right, a small rectangular first-floor window. The south elevation of the rear wing features a lobby entrance with a part-glazed door at the junction of the two ranges, and to its left, there is a 4-light late 17th-century oak mullioned window with a slate-faced lintel, along with a 10-over-10 pane sash window above. The north wall has a recessed centre section that includes a tall stair window and a small ground-floor window in a deep reveal. To the right of the stair window, a gabled dormer window breaks through the eaves, featuring a 10-over-10 pane sash frame.

Inside, the house has a remodelled interior but retains much of its early fabric, including a turned-baluster staircase with a moulded handrail and newels topped with ball finials. The east range includes a remodelled full-width hearth beneath a bressumer beam at the north end, with plank and muntin partitions separating the living room from the dining room and kitchen. The staircase leads to a modified upper floor landing, which features further plank and muntin panelling and panelled doors.

Mathew How is a carefully restored 17th-century vernacular house that has been enlarged and remodelled in the early 19th century while retaining high-quality early interior features.