Birchentree Farmhouse

Birchentree Farmhouse is an early 18th-century farmhouse, extended in the 19th century and altered in the early 20th. It is built of white-painted rubble with quoins, and has a stone slate roof. The building forms an L-shape, with a single-depth two-unit range facing north, a gabled rear wing extending from the second unit, and a one-bay addition at the east end.

The north-facing elevation has a 4-window range, incorporating some random through-stones. A small gabled porch sits at the centre, and there are small round-headed windows on each floor to the left (the lower one is blocked). To the left of these are two 2-light casements on each floor, and to the right are two more similar casements. The added bay to the left has a doorway alongside the junction, a board door, a small 4-pane sash window to the left, and a 2-light casement above. A ridge chimney is located at the junction, and a gable chimney is to the right. Attached to the right-hand gable is a barn (listed separately).

The rear of the farmhouse contains various small windows, including two 4-pane casements, and a 2-light stone mullioned window with a hoodmould and floating stone slate drip-course in the gable wall of the rear wing. Numerous chamfered stone sills, lintels, and mullions, originally belonging to the windows, are now used as coping to the yard wall in front of the house, indicating that the windows were formerly mullioned.

Inside, a thick lateral stone partition wall is located to the left of the doorway. The housepart to the right (now containing an inserted partition to make an entrance lobby) has two lateral beams, with exposed scored joists to the east of the first, suggesting a former cock-loft. It is otherwise ceiled and contains a built-in two-tier cupboard in the west wall, featuring fielded panels and inlaid lettering “G /T A/ 1720”. The living-kitchen to the left has a built-in cupboard with shouldered panels.

The farmhouse forms a group with the barn attached at the west end.