Barnsley Cottage And Attached Workshops

Barnsley Cottage and attached workshops were built between 1908 and 1909 by Geoffrey Lupton as his home and workplace. The cottage is constructed of white painted brick with an upper cruck structure, while the roofs are tiled with tall brick chimney stacks; the cottage has a half-hipped roof and the rear of the workshops a pitched roof with deadlights. The cottage is two storeys high and has a T-shaped plan, exhibiting a vernacular style. Its fenestration is irregular, with mostly segmental-arched, three-light casement windows with glazing bars. The entrance is on the left-hand return side of the cottage, featuring a part-glazed door. A brick modillion eaves cornice runs around the cottage. The rear elevation has a full-height chimney breast and tall stack, with a gabled dormer to the left.

The interior features wide (15 inches and more) hand-cut, polished oak floorboards and plank doors, all with handmade nails, latches and strap hinges produced in the workshops of Gimson and Lupton. The sitting room has a bressummer above a large open fireplace and a built-in wooden seat. A concrete bath is located beneath a trapdoor in front of the fireplace. The kitchen has a quarry tiled floor with a hand-crafted oak trapdoor leading to a water tank below, and a polished oak spiral stair.

The cottage represents a good example of Lupton’s Arts and Crafts philosophy and demonstrates fine craftsmanship. Lupton trained under Ernest Gimson and worked on Bedales hall and library to Gimson's designs. In 1923, Edward Barnsley, a furniture maker and architect, began to rent the workshops, moving into the cottage in 1926. He lived and worked there as a designer-craftsman until his death in 1987. The Barnsley archive and furniture made for his home are housed on the property.

The workshops have an L-shaped plan, with a single-story front range and a two-story rear section. They largely mirror the exterior appearance of the cottage. Edward Barnsley expanded the workshops, and they were further extended circa 1958-61 by his son, Jon. The workshop interior is functional, with timber trusses and a fireplace.