Thorns Cottage

This is a house, dating to approximately 1700, with significant alterations carried out in 1896-7, as indicated by datestones. It is constructed from various local stones, roughly coursed, with a stone slab roof. Originally a laithe house—a combination of a dwelling and a barn—it comprised two units and a central cross passage. The laithe underwent some alterations at the time of inspection in February 1990, and a south porch and a north porch, built in a picturesque “medieval” style, were added.

The south (garden) front is two storeys and three bays, symmetrical in design. The central bay projects and features a storeyed porch with curved angles, a stepped parapet with coping and a cornice band. This porch includes a rustic Venetian window to the first floor, a doorway sheltered by a shaped stone canopy, and deeply-recessed side windows beneath round-headed arches. The porch displays careful detailing using varied coloured stone. Side bays incorporate mullioned casement windows of three and two lights, with mullions corbelled to support slightly projecting top lights. Chimneys flank the house, both topped with moulded caps; the left chimney appears to have been originally corbelled but is now external throughout. The rear features a storeyed wing with crenellations and a diagonally placed corner turret, alongside irregularly disposed windows, one with a pointed arch. A small, attached round tower is situated in the angle between the wing and the main range. The rear wall of the main range has three windows set in deep reveals, with eaves supported by shaped stone corbels. The laithe itself has simple windows set within stone surrounds, assumed to be insertions from the early 19th century.

The interior was refurbished in 1897 in an eccentric style, incorporating extensive panelling and planking to the walls, some set diagonally or in a herringbone pattern. Ceilings include panelled and coffered designs, with the entrance hall being notable for its moulded and chamfered beams. The staircase features green ironwork railings rising to form an open dome over the stairwell. First-floor rooms share a similar style, including one with an internal porch in a free 17th-century style. These designs are unusual, especially for Cumbria, and are possibly the work of the late 19th-century owner, T Hewetson.