Low Whita (Bells) Farm (east)

Low Whita (Bells) Farm is a farmhouse with associated buildings dating from the 17th century, with extensive alterations carried out through the 18th century and into the mid-19th century.

The buildings are constructed of local gritstone rubble laid to courses, with some sections showing higher quality masonry in well-coursed, dressed rubble. The roofs are of local sandstone slate, laid to graduated courses with stone ridges.

The Farmhouse: Development and Plan

The house has a complex internal plan that preserves evidence of its evolution and previous subdivisions. In its early 18th-century form—possibly unchanged from its 17th-century configuration—it appears to have been a two-bay house with a near-central direct entry to the main room on the west, also served by a stair turret at the north-west corner, and a separate heated parlour to the east.

The far west bay, a 17th-century addition, was probably originally service accommodation but appears to have become a single-bay cottage by the mid-18th century or earlier. The bay to the east may also have 17th-century origins, either agricultural or as further domestic accommodation, but was certainly domestic by the later 18th century, perhaps around the time a new staircase outshot was added to the rear of the original house. In the mid-19th century, with the addition of another outshot with its own staircase, this bay (along with the formerly agricultural bay to the east) appears to have formed a separate property operating as a butter factory.

The range continues eastwards with two two-bay barns or byres, followed by a ruinous 20th-century pigsty. To the west of the cottage are the ruins of a lean-to 18th- or early 19th-century extension, with an outbuilding (an earth closet) projecting southwards.

Exterior

The front (south) elevation of the western four bays of the domestic range consists of rebuilt, well-coursed masonry, probably 18th century, with a building break between bays three and four and some later rebuilding around the windows of bay one, the former cottage at the west end. The eaves have been raised and unified, possibly at the same time that the windows to bays two to four were given slightly projecting stone surrounds. The flush-set stone surrounds to the front door of the house (on the east side of bay two) and the blocked door to the cottage (on the east side of bay one) are probably earlier. Quoins to the upper part of the east side of bay three show that bay four was previously lower. A building break between bays four and five shows that the latter was previously single storey. The door and ground-floor window to bay five are a 20th-century alteration. Other windows, including that to the first floor of bay five, have four-pane sashes. The front door is panelled, with the top panel glazed and divided with glazing bars. There are stone ridge stacks on the west side of bays one and two, and on the east side of bays three and five.

The west gable shows breaks in the stonework that clearly indicate the cottage formerly had a more steeply pitched roof with a lower eaves line. The gable is blank except for an inserted doorway into the now-ruinous single-storey lean-to extension.

The rear (north) elevation is of coursed rubble with scattered fenestration. Bay one (the former cottage at the west end) has a blocked slit window to the ground floor and includes projecting stones indicating the former lower eaves. There is a clear building break up to this lower eaves line with the stair turret projecting from the western part of bay two. This stair turret has a blocked slit window set just below the original eaves line. The central part of bay two shows that the original house also had a lower eaves line originally. It has a ground-floor six-over-six pane sash window with outer iron bars spanning between the sill and lintel. Bay three and the eastern part of bay two are covered by a two-storey outshot that has a stair window set in a surround made up of reused elements from one or more 17th-century chamfered windows. This window is a four-pane vertical sash protected by horizontal iron bars. A further four-pane sash window in a plain opening is to the east on the first floor. Below is a smaller ground-floor window, a very small-paned six-over-six. There is a clear building break with the outshot to bays five and six, which is of one continuous build with a quoined eastern corner, a central door and three windows all of slightly different sizes but all with four-pane sashes set behind vertical iron bars. Set high in the east gable end of this outshot are three doveholes and a projecting alighting stone.

Interior

The cottage (bay one) retains its spiral stone staircase and a mid-18th-century kitchen fireplace on the ground floor. This fireplace has a cast-iron range with two ovens on one side retaining decorative doors, and a crane on the other. The stair turret to bay two has been converted into cupboards on both ground and first floors, probably in the 18th century; they retain planked doors. The two ground-floor windows retain panelled shutters, as does the ground-floor window to bay three, which also has a pelmet with a sculptured swag decoration. The ground-floor room to bay four also retains shutters. Its ceiling has exposed 19th-century floor joists fitted with timber airing racks and numerous iron hooks. The ground-floor room of bay five and the three service rooms to the rear outshots all have extensive stone shelving. At least some of the alcoves and built-in cupboards throughout the building are considered to represent blocked internal doorways.

18th-Century Barn or Byre

Attached to the east gable of the domestic range is a two-bay 18th-century barn or byre. It has a mid-18th-century doorway in the south wall flanked by small, nearly square windows, with an inserted taking-in door above. The mid-18th-century doorway has a large lintel supported by plinthed upright-and-impost jambs set in contemporary watershot masonry, with the east gable quoined. A change in the stonework indicates that the eaves has been raised to match that of the attached domestic range. The north wall is more roughly built but also retains evidence of a lower eaves line. It has a single opening: a partly blocked mucking-out opening.

Early 19th-Century Barn

Attached to the east gable of the 18th-century barn is an early 19th-century barn, also of two bays but slightly lower and smaller than the earlier barn to which it is attached at a slight angle. It has a quoined east gable, a first-floor taking-in door and ground-level doorway on the south side, and a small window and ventilation slit on the north wall.

Gig House

The gig house is of two bays and two storeys, built into rising ground south of the 18th-century barn. Appearing to be of a single build, it has quoined gables and a central ridge stack. The north elevation has a doorway to each bay, with the east bay also having a window. On the first floor there is a taking-in door and a window, both blocked. The first floor forms the ground floor of the south elevation because of the rising ground. This has a neatly arched cart opening to the west and a window to the east. The east gable has windows to both levels; the west gable has a blocked first-floor window. The west ground-floor room has a low boskin forming two stalls or bunkers. The east room retains features of a washroom.

18th-Century Outbuilding

Just uphill to the south of the gig house is an 18th-century outbuilding. It is a single-storey, two-bay building that is quoined and has a lean-to extension to its west side, which is also quoined. The north gable end has a mid-18th-century doorway matching that of the 18th-century barn, with a large lintel supported by plinthed upright-and-impost jambs. The larger doorway in the east wall is possibly inserted.

Ruined 19th-Century Lean-to Extension

This single-storey extension to the west gable of the cottage is reduced to its south wall, which retains a set of stone shelves. Attached to the south is a small outbuilding: an earth closet.

Garden Boundaries

The main domestic garden extending south from the house and cottage is defined by a tall, coped wall. A second, smaller domestic garden lies between this and the gig house, bounded to the south by 19th-century iron railings.