Kirk Vue and the Cottage

Kirk Vue and The Cottage, Westerdale

A farmhouse dating from the 18th century with the upper storey added in the late 18th century, later subdivided to form three cottages, of which two have since been recombined. The building is constructed of squared sandstone laid to courses, with herringbone tooling to the ground floor and pecked tooling to the later stonework of the upper floor. It has a replacement pantile roof with stone ridge and ashlar chimney stacks.

The front elevation comprises three bays, each formerly forming an independent cottage. The northern cottage, Kirk Vue, has its door positioned to the right with a chimney stack to the left. The two southern cottages, now amalgamated as The Cottage, have their doors placed together with chimney stacks set apart. Three first floor windows are short four over four vertical sliding sashes positioned above ground floor windows fitted with modern replacement joinery. The front doors are also modern replacements. The gables are raised and coped, supported on unadorned square kneelers. The three single flue chimney stacks are of stone ashlar with cornices. To the north is an attached former barn that was rebuilt around 1990, which is not included in the listing. The gable wall to the south is blank.

The rear elevation shows the northern cottage extended with a two storey gabled outshut in keeping with the rest of the building. On the first floor of the remaining two bays are three light Yorkshire sliding sashes with four panes to each light. Much of the ground floor is obscured by a 20th century timber lean-to of no special interest, though a small former pantry window survives close to the south gable wall.

Internally, Kirk Vue retains an 18th century planked partition on the ground floor and a narrow planked 19th century lobby inside the front door, along with broad planked internal doors, some with early ironmongery. The first floor joists are exposed along with the undersides of generally broad floor boards; these and the simple winder stair to the rear are probably late 18th century in date. The roof structure is traditional but believed to be a 20th century replacement.

The middle cottage has a similar simple winder stair and exposed floor joists, probably 19th century. The timber panelled partition and plank door were refitted from another building in 1994. The fireplace with its keystoned lintel and cast iron range is a similar late 20th century alteration. The upper floor retains narrow planked partitions and doors probably of 19th century origin but modified.

The southern cottage has lost its ground floor partition and stairs but retains exposed joists and first floor floorboards. The end gable wall retains a built in cupboard with a plank door hung on 18th century style strap hinges.